Humanity
by Rand0mSmil3z
Summary: When Pitch broke Jack's staff, he did more than either of them thought was possible - Jack's becoming human. Now how is he supposed to get his powers back and - more importantly - defeat Pitch? *Occurs right after Pitch breaks Jack's staff. Enjoy! :) *Sequel is Eternity *Coverart by: xXDivinity16Xx
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone! This will be my very first fanfic for Rise of the Guardians; I just saw the movie yesterday. It was kinda amazing, but then I had to escort my little cousin to the bathroom and ended up missing the part right after Jack gets his memory back. But no worries - I definitely plan on seeing it again! Anyway, here is my little rant... Enjoy!_

_ PS- sorry if the dialogue doesn't match the movie exactly, but I tried my best here. It shouldn't be too different._

...

Jack Frost's icy-blue eyes narrowed as the snow billowed around him, enveloping him in the familiar cold he barely felt. A man, tall and foreboding, stood in front of him. A cruel smile was painted on his face, and in one gaunt, gray hand held what most would assume was a tiny hummingbird. It chirped and locked its green eyes with Jack, silently pleading to be saved.

"Give Baby Tooth back," Jack demanded, raising his staff. It pulsed with frost, almost as if it were alive. Baby Tooth shook its head violently as its lower lip slightly trembled.

But Pitch only sneered and tightened his grip. The tiny tooth sprite cried out in pain, eliciting a hiss from Jack. He crouched, prepared to explode forward, but Pitch only raised a single hand. "I wouldn't do that," he warned, a smile twisting on his face. He cast Baby Tooth a glance boarding pity. "After all-" the smile returned, "-who knows what would happen to this one."

Jack's hand trembled as he fought to control his emotions. He should have listened, listened for _once, _and not have gone down the hole beneath the bed. He should have just gone to Bunnymund, and Tooth, and North, and should have _listened. _

But the voice, the voice was so familiar. He had to find it, has to make sure...

His hand tightened on his staff, and the trembling stopped. "Give Baby Tooth back," he repeated. He felt weak; he hated feeling weak. He hated feeling powerless, but right now, what else could he do? He messed up once... he wouldn't mess up again.

"How about a trade," Pitch proposed. Baby Tooth's eyes widened, and she glanced at Jack. He saw, and returned her hopefully, trusting gaze with a thin smile that said, _I'll make everything okay. _

Jack's sapphire eyes snapped back to Pitch. "What kind of trade?" he asked, glaring all the while.

Pitch's smile broadened. "This _thing," _he sneered, raising Baby Tooth, "for your staff."

Jack's breath caught in his through. _My staff? _He glanced at it; the familiar dark wood, the graceful curve at the end. Icy cold frost gathered at the tips, pulsing like a heartbeat and warming his pale hands. He had this staff from the very beginning, from the start, from before he even had an idea of who he was. With this staff, he went on many adventures; the blizzard of '68 was only the tip of the iceberg.

And yet...

He glanced at Baby Tooth. She was violently shaking her head _no, _her lower lip trembling. He could see the hope wither and die in her tiny green eyes. Baby Tooth was willing to give up her life for him.

Jack glanced at his staff one more time before taking a deep breath. "Fine," he said, and quickly handed it to Pitch just in case he changed his mind. "Now, for Baby Tooth." He held out his hand expectantly.

But Pitch only sneered and tightened his fist. "How about..." His smile broadened, "-not."

Jack heart seemed to freeze solid inside his chest. Never before had the cold been so menacing. _"NO!" _he shrieked, jumping forward. Pitch smiled -

- and cracked his staff in half.

Pain blossomed in Jack's cold chest and seared him like a fire. He gasped, struggling to breathe. He was dimly aware of Baby Tooth crying out and Pitch shouting in pain, and suddenly he was falling, falling, falling...

Crunch. Pain lanced up his back as he landed on a particularly hard snow patch. He winced and opened his bleary eyes; Pitch was staring down at him, staring down at him with the awful smile of his. "Here," he said simply, and dropped the two broken halves down the crack in the snow. With that, he turned away.

Jack felt numb, and not the cold-type of numb either. He felt dead inside, like all of his smiles and laughter were permanently put out. He managed to crawl to one of the broken halves and curled his fingers around it. Nothing; it was little more than firewood now.

Jack's icy-blue eyes pricked and he felt them water up. He sniffed, feeling all of the helplessness weigh down on him, until he saw Baby Tooth. She was half submerged in the snow, with her tiny little wings poking out in all directions. Jack carefully scooped her up in his hands.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, trying to keep his voice light-hearted.

Baby Tooth shivered, nodded, and sneezed.

Jack laughed; it felt dry, dead, hollow. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I can only make you c-cold." Baby Tooth glanced up at him, eyes widening when she saw Jack's teeth chattering. Something was wrong, she was positive. Jack was never cold, never ever ever _ever. _

Suddenly he began to shiver. "Wh-what's w-wrong with m-me?" he asked Baby Tooth, though he wasn't expecting a response. Baby Tooth's lower lip began to tremble again and he fluttered towards his face, rubbing her soft green head against his cheek. Jack laughed, even though it hurt, and idly brushed some snow out of her feathers.

It melted on his fingertips.

Jack could only stare. _Melting? _He didn't _melt _snow, he _made _snow. He was _The _Spirit of Winter, Jack Front, bringing of cold and snow and...

He shivered again and huddled against the wall, shaking, with Baby Tooth curled up in his warming hands. He felt weird, like he couldn't feel his fingers or face or feet anymore, and with a start he realized that he was cold. He shivered again; he was so, so, so cold. His feet ached from the cold, his face felt raw and numb, his fingers felt fat and stiff.

An tear ran down his face and froze there. _Help, _he thought silently to himself, and closed his eyes.

. . . . . . . .

"We should look for him," North scowled.

Bunnymund turned to him, glaring. "Why should we?" he spat. Tooth didn't want any part of their argument. After all, they had been at it ever since Jack left. True, she had been shocked at first, but the more she thought about it, the more she should have known it would happen. Pitch is cruel, true, but he is also cunning; he would have tempted the young Guardian with the one thing no one else could give him - memories.

Tooth closed her eyes, trapping the tears. She should have _known. _

Something smashed against the floor. _"It's his fault!" _Bunnymund shouted. "It's _his _fault that no one can see me, it's _his _fault that Easter is ruined. If you want to search for Frostbite, _fine!_" he spat. "But leave me out of it!"

Tooth cast them a wry glance before looking out the window. Bunnymund was just upset. She would be too, if Jack had ruined the teeth she painstakingly collected. But deep down inside she knew that Jack didn't mean it; she saw his face when he saw them. His icy-blue eyes were wide, filled with shame, doubt, and _fear. _Her face skewed. _But why would Jack be afraid of...?_

A tiny cry for help broke her concentration, and with a start she realized that it was Baby Tooth. The tiny cry for help echoed in her mind again, along with a mental picture of where she and Jack were. _But not Jack, _Tooth frowned. The boy with Baby Tooth had brown hair, not silver, but he was deathly pale and freezing to death. Just a few more minutes, and that would be the end.

"Guys!" Tooth shouted, halting North and Bunnymund's argument. "It's Baby Tooth, and she's in trouble!"

That instantly snapped them out of their fight and they both stared at Tooth, wide-eyed and shocked.

North was the first to recover. "What?" he bellowed. His loud, booming voice echoed in his workshop. "Where?"

"In... in the South Pole!" Tooth cried out. "Oh North, we have to hurry! She's with a boy, and he's gonna freeze!"

Bunnymund frowned; what was a kid doing in the South Pole? But then again, if the kid ended up there and needed help, it was his duty to help. "Alright, let's go," he frowned. "For Baby Tooth."

Tooth clapped her hands in excitement, and all three of them dashed to the sleigh. "South pole!" North shouted, throwing his snow globe. It shattered on the ground and released a portal. Colors and blurs of white swirled inside its mass, reminding Tooth of those black-hole pictures she once saw in a child's room. With a rush of wind and a slight pop, they flew through the portal.

_Baby Tooth, _Tooth thought, squeezing her eyes shut. _I'm coming!_

...

Jack couldn't open his eyes; the lashes had frozen shut. Baby Tooth shivered in his hands, and he stroked her head with his thumb. Well, at least he thought he did. His fingers had gone dead-numb long ago, but at least his feet had stopped hurting. But he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"B-B-Baby T-T-Tooth, w-we're g-gonna be o-okay," he managed. The cold was unbearable, weighing around him. He wasn't sure how much longer he would last, but he hoped that at least Baby Tooth would make it.

Jack laughed, but it came out more of a harsh wheeze. In a million years, he never would have guessed that it would be snow that killed him. But that again, he thought Guardians were immortal... guess he was wrong.

He wasn't sure how long he had laid there, or how long he shivered in the dark. Everything seemed blurred into one. He wasn't even sure when he was awake or when he was dreaming.

In his hands Baby Tooth squirmed slightly. She was cold, but her feathers kept her warm. Something was wrong, very very wrong, and Jack wasn't moving anymore. He wasn't shivering, or talking, or murmuring. Instead he had gone deathly pale, more pale than he was before, and cold. His hair was brown too, but the snow and ice laced through it to give it a silvery sheen. But she knew that Jack was cold. So cold. Jack Frost had turned into Jack Icicle.

Baby Tooth chirped slightly, and lightly brushed a wing against his cheek. No response. Her panic intensified and she chirped again, more fervently this time, and slapped her wings against his face. Still nothing; he didn't even moan.

She felt tears well up in her spring-grass green eyes. Something was wrong with Jack, very very wrong, and...

Suddenly a voice, warm and wonderful, echoed through the crack. _"Baby Tooth! Baby Tooth, where are you?!"_

Baby Tooth glanced one last time at Jack before fluttering up through the crack, chirping wildly. Almost instantly she was wrapped in the warm, feathery arms of her momma Tooth. The tears came this time, faster and faster, but she ignored it and kept chirping.

"What's wrong with Baby Tooth?" North asked, giving the little tooth sprite a wry glance.

Tooth shook her head, cupping Baby Tooth in her hands. "She - She's worried," she confessed. "Baby Tooth, where's the boy you were with?"

Baby Tooth chirped again and buzzed over the crack, hovering over it. North, Bunnymund, and Tooth peered over the edge and gasped. The brown haired boy was down there, broken and battered, and more pale than human children were supposed to ever be.

Bunnymund skidded down the slope first; after all, with his fur he would be best suited to help the boy. He gingerly picked him up, wincing as the cold seeped to his skin. "You'll be okay," Bunnymund said. Nearby were two sticks; the Pooka figured it was a failed attempt at a fire and decided to leave them.

But it was strange; this kid was wearing the same exact clothes as Jack was. Maybe it's some sort of new fashion trend? It wasn't like he familiar with teenage fashion or anything. But the sticks... Bunnymund glanced at them closer, making sure to warm the human at the same time. The sticks, if you put them together, looked exactly like...

His eyes widened. _Oh no. _He glanced at the boy again; the shape of the face was the same, the bare feet, the pale skin. The exact same. The only thing different was the hair...

He glanced at the broken staff again. _Oh no. _"North!" Bunnymund shouted, all anger forgotten. "Get the sleigh!" In a single bound he was back on solid ground, and in a flash he was bounding towards the sleigh North and Tooth were already in. "Get this thing moving! Pronto! To North's place!"

Tooth's eyes widened. "Why? What's wrong? Shouldn't we go to a hospital?"

_How could they not see it? _Bunnymund thought, saying at the same time, _"Look!" _He moved his arm, exposing Jack's face. "This is Jack!"

"But... he has brown hair," North brilliantly pointed out.

"I know," Bunnymund growled. "And I don't know why, but we'll figure it out."

North and Tooth nodded, determined, and North threw the snowglobe. Baby Tooth fluttered out of Tooth's arms and snuggled next to Jack's head, looking absolutely pitiful. Tooth pet her sprite's head and, in a pop and blur of color, they all skidded to a landing. Bunnymund was out first, followed closely by North and Tooth.

"Get the fire going!" North shouted to a couple stray elves. They dropped their cookie platters and dashed away, bickering down the hall all the while.

"Will he be okay?" Tooth asked, flitting back and forth as she followed the pooka. "Will he? Oh, I hope so, I can't believe that...!"

"He'll be fine," Bunnymund nearly growled. He glared at Jack - the human Jack - in his arms. Such a troublemaker. "If it's Jack," the pooka repeated, "he'll be fine."

...

Jack was cold.

He groaned and rolled over, wrapping the covers around him. They were warm, and he could hear a fireplace crackling somewhere near him. A fire... he had only seen them through the window, never had actually...

His eyes snapped open. _A fire. _He got to his shaky feet and scrambled away from the infernal heat. The cold; he needed the snow, needed the ice, needed to feel the icy wind on his face. _Then _he'll go and...

His mad scramble stopped short, frozen in time. _Cold? _He glanced at his hands; they were nipped with red, and he pressed his fingers against his cheeks. They were like ice, and he instinctively jerked them away.

That stunned him.

Jack turned back to the fire and stretched his hand out to it. He could feel the heat flush against his palm, warm it...

To Jack's immense surprise, he _liked _it. He loved the feel of the heat, loved how the fire crackled. He swallowed and inched closer to the fire, wary of the warmth, but craving it anyway.

"Jack." His jerked his head towards the familiar voice. Tooth fluttered in the doorway, eyes wide but filled with care. He didn't deserve that; he messed up. Jack turned away.

"I'm sor-"

His apology was cut short as warm, feathered arms wrapped around his neck. "It _is _you," she whispered. Jack could feel tears soaking into his sleeve. "It _is _you. Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry, I never should have...!"

"_You're _sorry?" Jack laughed dryly. "_I'm _the one that should be sorry. I - I ruined Easter, and..."

But Tooth only shook her head and pulled Jack to his feet. "Follow me," she whispered. Jack frowned, but followed her anyway. His legs felt stiff and sore, his hands felt swollen and numb. Before long they came up to a long mirror that coated a wall.

"Look, Jack," Tooth said sadly. "What do you see?"

Jack's eyes widened. His hair was brown, his irises silver. But brown had crept into their icy depths like a virus. "Wh-what's wrong with me?" he asked. Then his mind flashed back to when Pitch broke his staff, and it all came rushing back.

"Jack." Tooth's eyes fell to the floor, almost guiltily. "You're turning human."


	2. Chapter 2

_Medea: Yeah. __Kangaroo__ Bunnymund left the staff, that numb-skull. D: _

_ YaoiReaderGalor: We are geniuses. 'Nuff said._

_ CHiKa-RoXy: Thank you so much! That kinda sorta made my day!_

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_ Jzaaa: I read your review right before I finished this up and I had to comment on it here. That was awesome; I'm still grinning like a dork over it. :D _

_ And to everyone else who reviewed but I didn't get to, thank you so much! I read everything you all say and they are all just the sweetest things in the entire world. :) I'll definitely keep this up, not only for myself anymore, but for you guys too! Ahhh I love you all! Thanks for the massive support the first day! Made writing this totally worth it, so I'm going to update it RIGHT NOW. And I'll update more chapters as soon as I write them. Like, the SECOND I write them. :D _

_ And now, here is the second chapter to Humanity!_

_ Enjoy!_

...

Jack's mind reeled. _Human? _No... that was impossible. He turned back to his reflection, eyes wide. Chocolate-colored hair. Silver/blue eyes rimmed with brown. His skin was losing its pale color, and some red singed his cheeks.

"Jack," Tooth whispered. "I'm sorry."

But Jack didn't hear. All he could do was stare, stare at his reflection. This face... _his _face... was the same one on the tooth-container he took from Pitch. His face burned when he remembered; that stupid box started everything.

"Jack." A slight touch on the shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine," Jack said quickly, forcing a smile. He was good at smiling; it came naturally to him. But right now it felt forced, fake even, and worry squirmed in his gut. "I'm fine," he repeated. But whether it was for Tooth's benefit or his, he couldn't tell.

Suddenly something small and incredibly fast ran into him, chirping all the while.

"Baby Tooth!" Jack grinned - a real grin this time - and gently stroked the sprite's green feathered head. "How are you feeling, little guy?"

"It's been a couple days since we found you," Tooth explained with a tired smile. "The whole time Baby Tooth was worried sick; wouldn't leave your side, in fact."

Jack frowned. _We? _"Are North and Bunnymund here too?"

Tooth nodded. "North is by the globe, talking to Man in the Moon."

"And Bunnymund?" Jack almost didn't want to know.

But Tooth only smiled. "He disappeared down his rabbit hole, claiming that it was 'important business'. But he promised that he'll be back soon," she said quickly, misinterpreting Jack's relieved look as one of worry.

Jack turned away, refusing to meet Tooth's eyes. "Is he still mad at me?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. In his hands Baby Tooth crooned.

Tooth smiled and shook her head. "No," she said. "In fact, he seemed pretty worried."

_Worried? _Jack swallowed; if the Kangaroo was worried about him, then he was in worse shape than he thought. Suddenly his stomach growled, startling the daylight out of him. Tooth blinked a few times, then burst out laughing. Jack smiled; it was nice to hear her laugh. It made it seem that everything was going to be okay.

"You're hungry," Tooth said matter-of-factly. Jack shrugged. He couldn't recall ever feeling hungry before. Sure, he stole a few cookies from the elves here and there, but he was never actually _hungry. _He just liked cookies. Tooth suddenly laughed again, as if the thought was hilarious, and began to flutter down one of the hallways. "Follow me," she called over her shoulder.

Jack glanced at Baby Tooth, shrugged, and followed Tooth down the winding hallways. Elves, dressed in their triangle-hats [seriously, what are those things?!], delicately balanced trays of cookies over their heads or carried some toys. Here and there Jack snatched a chocolate chip cookie and, much to his delight, none of the elves noticed.

They yetis, on the other hand, did. They stared at Jack as if he were a stranger. Here and there Tooth gave them a disapproving look, and the toy-makers immediately went back to work. But not before throwing Jack odd glances. He didn't blame them, though. If he was a yeti, he would stare too.

Suddenly Tooth opened up one arched doorway. Candy canes decorated the rim, and Jack could faintly smell peppermint. "It's not much," Tooth said with a nervous laugh, "but it'll work for now." With a slight push she opened the door, and Jack gasped.

It was some sort of christmas-candy factory, complete with peppermint sticks, peppermint bark ginger-bread houses and men, frosting, and all sort of stuff he didn't even recognize. _No wonder North is so big, _Jack thought, his head practically on a swivel as he tried to absorb all of the scenes at once. _He gets to eat candy all day. _

"Pick out whatever you want," Tooth said, grinning from ear to ear. Jack's jaw dropped.

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Well then. Jack grabbed a few more cookies, filled his pockets with chocolate, and stuffed his face with anything else he could reach. Some of the elves shot his looks that could wither a Fearling, one of Pitch's dark creations, but Jack was way too happy to care. _Chocolate. _My gosh, did he love the stuff.

"Wait," he said, freezing up. "Where's my tooth-box? The one with my memories?"

Tooth's eyes widened and she shot her gaze to the floor, looking guilty. "I, uh, well Jack, it's in safe-keeping. So you don't lose it again," she added quickly.

Jack blinked, then turned away. _So that's why she let me have anything... _Suddenly, he didn't feel as hungry anymore. "That's okay," he said, slapping a smile on his face. "Maybe it's for the best."

Tooth's eyes widened. _For the best? _When she first told Jack of the memories inside the baby teeth, his blue eyes lit up like a child's and he was practically bubbling with excitement. But now, beneath that smile she knew so well, he only looked vulnerable, like his world was crashing down on him. He looked fragile even, so delicate like a spark of flame, just like...

_Just like a human._

Tooth turned away. Looking at Jack now, with his brown hair and changing eyes, was too painful. "Come on," she choked out, forcing a smile on her face. It was a trick she learned from Jack himself. "Let's go find North."

...

Pitch grinned in the darkness, reveling in the cries of the tooth-sprites around him. They squealed and fluttered in their cages, crying out for sunlight and warmth, but Pitch Black was not about to let them go yet. No; Jack Frost _betrayed _him, betrayed him in a way no one else could, and for that he was going to suffer. The first step was simply breaking that stupid stick that child dragged with him. The second was to break his 'family', the Guardians, the ones that stuck their neck out to save their youngest member time and time again.

A frown soon replaced his sneer. _But how? _he wondered, idly biting away at a nail. Nearby a tooth sprite cried out, a little too loudly for his tastes, and he was half-aware of making a horse-shaped Fearling and siccing the beast onto the unwary sprite. A cry rang through the darkness, and all went silent.

Silence; how Pitch loved the silence. The silence where fear was so heavy it simply _suffocated _the soul, freezing movements solid. In that way, he and Jack Frost were quite similar; they could both paralyze a foe with little warning.

But Pitch's methods were a tad more... brutal.

A laughter rang through the compound, up the winding staircases and through abandoned tunnels. Yes; he had the perfect idea. The best idea. He had already nearly broken the Tooth Fairy... why not kill her off completely?

His idea was so ingenious a low laughter bubbled up from his throat; the laughter soon intensified, ringing throughout his portion of the world, drowning out the cries of the tooth sprites.

Pitch Black, the Boogie Man, the one who strikes fear in every heart, wasn't done quite yet.

...

Bunnymund scowled and hugged himself, shivering. _Darn cold, _he thought grumpily, looking back and forth on the snowy landscape. In his haste to save Frostbite, he forgot the kids staff back in the crack in the snow. _Well, I guess I can't him 'Frostbite' now, huh? _he thought drily. He jumped over a snowdrift and gracefully landed back on his feet. _I got ta think of somethin' better._

No snow fell from the heavens as the pooka searched. He hated that everything looked the same, the same white color that stretched _everywhere. _How Jack could stand the boringness of it all, the Easter Bunny had no idea. He preferred the warm greens of spring, how the colorful flowers swayed in the early morning dew and how the Easter eggs added splashes of color to the vibrant green ground. He loved the warmth of the sunlight.

He _hated _the dreary cold of the winter. He _hated _it. But Bunnymund scowled and kept pressing forward. And no matter how much he hated it, he was going to find Frostbite's darn staff. _Dumb kid. _

It took a while, but he finally spotted the crack. It was lined with footprints; the deep one's of North and his long ones, courtesy of his rabbit feet. He peered down the crack; sure enough, there was Jack Frost's staff, still broken in two and still looking as pitiful as ever. With an effortless leap he jumped down and retrieved it.

It was cold, light, and lifeless, like dead wood. Sadness briefly stabbed at Bunnymund; if someone - or something - broke his boomerang, he wouldn't know what to do. But that didn't matter right now.

With a soft tap of his foot, a rabbit-hole seemed to sprout right out of the ground. Bunnymund shivered and jumped down, heading for North's place.

...

Jack and Tooth peeked from behind the corner, watching North. An uncharacteristic scowl decorated his face, and his eyes were locked with the moon overhead. But it was silent, so silent that it made Jack's skin crawl.

_Will I even hear Man in the Moon again? _he thought. The thought that he wouldn't was so unspeakable, so unbelievable, that he immediately pushed it right out of him mind. His motto was 'Live for the moment', and right now he would rather spending his time being happy than worrying about things that may or may not be true.

Maybe the Moon was just being quite today. Or having a private conversation with North.

Yeah, that had to be it.

Tooth cast Jack a reassuring look and gave him a little nudge. "Go on," she whispered. "North missed you. He was really worried, too."

_Worried? _Well, truth be told, it _did _make Jack feel a little better. After being invisible his entire life, it was nice to know that someone cared.

He wasn't invisible anymore.

The thought made his stomach turn as he hesitantly walked up to North, unsure of what to say. Normally he would come bounding in here, probably shouting something stupid, before whipping down some hallway cackling all the way. Maybe even slick the floor nicely too, so that the elves would go rolling and tumbling. But now all the words seemed lodged in his throat, stuck there, _frozen _there.

"North..." was the only thing Jack could squeeze out.

Suddenly warm arms enveloped him, squeezing the living daylights out of him. "You're okay," North breathed. "Thank goodness."

Jack felt tears prick his eyes, but took a deep breath and refused to let them fall. He wouldn't cry, not here and not now, and _definitely _not in front of Tooth. "I-I guess," he mumbled. North pulled away and pressed both of his hands on Jack's shoulders, smiling warmly at him.

"Don't try a stunt like that again, you hear me?" he mildly classicized Jack in his Russian accent. "We're Guardians, every single one of us, and we always stick together. Always."

Jack glanced away, shame burning his cheeks. "Y-Yeah." He idly wondered if his face was turning red, like how most kids' faces do when they get embarrassed. He hoped not. "Anyway," he added quickly, trying to change the subject, "how _am _I okay? I thought for sure that I would be..." His voice trailed off, but North understood.

"You hadn't lost your immortality yet, Jack," he explained. "Your eyes are still silver-ish. But for how long..." He hopelessly shrugged. "I don't know."

"Oh."

North sighed. That look was in Jack's eyes, that look that he hated to see in children. Suddenly an idea popped in North's head. "Jack," he said slowly, warming to the idea. "Would you like to help me?"

Jack's eyes immediately lit up, all traces of sadness gone. "Really?" he asked excitedly.

North nodded, knowing that he said the right thing and loving it. "Really," he grinned, and pointed over his shoulder. "The yetis need help making some toys; want to help them?"

Jack smiled, showing off all of his pearly whites. North could spot Tooth eyeing them enviously. "Yeah," Jack grinned, and then bounded off. North smiled; that was the Jack he knew.

_Now, _he said, turning back to the Moon. _Back to work. _

...

_Done! Sorry this chapter is a bit slow, but it's necessary. D: I feel bad about it though, so I'll work my hardest to make the third chapter extra-awesome. :) And once again, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT. I'm still flipping out about that. You guys are all awesome and made writing this whole totally worth it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter (even if it was a bit slow)- and until next time!_

_ Rand0mSmil3z_

_ 3_


	3. Chapter 3

_Ah. School was such a drag today... wish it was still Thanksgiving Break. But who cares! :D Omigoodness, my inbox has PILED UP with everyone's reviews, and favs, and follows! Ahhh it's all so exciting! Thank you for all of the support everyone, you have DEFINITELY made writing this worth it. Like, a thousand-times-over worth it. _

_ Mz. Ogie: Thank you for saying the characterization is good; I was really worried about that!_

_ Random Girl: Who cares if you don't have an account, because I need to reply to that. That was honestly the funniest - and more random - thing ever. And yes - I'm ICY DEAD SERIOUS. 0_0 (i stole your line! :D)_

_ StrormDragon666: Yep! The person in brackets was me, and thanks for clearing that up! I haven't read the books actually, and was wondering... what the heck ARE those things?! AND OMIGOSH. BEYOND THAT, YOU TOTALLY MADE MY DAY._

_ Ravenclaw Slytherin: Aww don't cry! -throws candy in your general direction- :D_

_ Mockingjay098: Lol. That's all I have to say about that._

_ lucthesea17: Thank you! You should DEFINITELY watch the movie! You annoying writer, Rand0mSmil3z :P_

_ Pepper07: Back to the characterization thing, thank you so much as well! :D Getting a good solid voice in was surprisingly easy for this one though... usually it's the most ridiculous thing ever. If it ever gets fuzzy, please let me know!_

_ To those of you I didn't get to, I'm sorry! I try to get to you next chapter, because my goodness if I replied to everyone here there wouldn't be any story left! But I read all of them, and I love you all! Again, thanks for all of the support! :D :D :D_

_ Anyway, enough rambles! :D Here is chapter three of Humanity... enjoy!_

* * *

The air chilled; not the good type of chill either. The kind where the cold seeps into your bones only moments before the fear sets in, the mind-numbing fear that locked the Bunnymund's joints and stopped him in his tracks. In his arms was Jack's staff, broken and lifeless, the only testimony of what Jack Frost once was.

_Still is, _Bunnymund corrected, eyes focused on the landscape. He was still in his rabbit hole, but prior experience told him that the Fearlings could still find their way inside. That's what happen on Easter, just a short day ago, and nothing was stopping it from happening again.

But Bunnymund just clenched his teeth and began to sprint - or hop - all the faster. The Fearlings were coming, and North and Tooth had to be warned.

_But what of Jack? _he wondered, then shook his head mid-sprint. _No; he can't know. Without his staff, he's defenseless. _And with that he continued to run, run like Pitch Black himself was right behind him.

Suddenly there was a snap.

Bunnymund froze, whipping out his boomerang just in time to block an arrow of black sand. The pooka flinched despite himself; he knew that arrow, recognized it as the same one that killed Sandy. A dry smile curled up his lips and he got into his defensive position. Like always, his instincts were right.

Whether he liked it or not.

The next arrow came from behind. Bunnymund managed to turn just in time to block. He need to get out, to get in the open air where he couldactually _fight. _Right here, right now, he was simply trapped prey waiting to die. Thankfully, the rabbit holes were his territory, and in a flash a new tunnel appeared. Bunnymund dashed down the new opening, relishing the wind hitting his face. He was almost there, so close to the top...

Made it.

He jumped, looking down below at the tunnel at the same time. _Waves _of black sand seemed to boil like tar beneath the earth. Faster than what Bunnymund thought possible, the black sand seemed to morph into a giant hand. The pooka clenched his teeth and made sure he had a tight grip on Jack's broken staff.

"Bunnymund." The voice was darker than night and colder than Jack's blizzard of '68. "It's nice to see you again." The hand uncurled its long, gaunt fingers and Pitch Black stepped out onto its open palm, grinning manically.

"It's nice to see you again too, mate," Bunnymund replied sarcastically. "How's that spring tan comin' along?" Pitch's golden eyes narrowed to slits and, without warning, black sand erupted out of the ground. Bunnymund's eyes widened and he jumped back; the sand nicked his legs. The pooka flinched; it hurt.

"What did ya' do to Frostbite?!" Bunnymund shouted at Pitch, throwing his boomerang. It spun madly, pulverizing several of the massive midnight columns surrounding him. He effortlessly caught it in his hand.

Pitch Black merely smiled. "Ah, so you found him. Well, in case it wasn't obvous," he said, gesturing to the broken sticks in the pooka's hands, "I broke his staff." Then suddenly his smile widened, and sent shivers down Bunnymund's spine. "I wonder who I should break next..."

Time seemed to freeze. Pitch cackled, a sound like metal clashing against metal, and pointed straight at the pooka. The sand columns - those that weren't destroyed - converged on him, blocking out the sunlight.

_Oh no. _

Bunnymund reached for his back pouch, fingers straining to grab his exploding Easter eggs. The black columns kept coming closer, falling on him like a tower, falling... falling... falling...

A flash.

An egg exploded on the ground. Pitch's laugh halted and was replaced by a scream, a scream that raised Bunnymund's fur on end. Staff in hand, he thumped his foot on the ground, trying to open his rabbit hole in time. He had to get back to North and Jack, to Tooth and Baby Tooth, had to let them know...

Pain flared in his chest just as the rabbit hole opened. Bunnymund squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his mouth, smothering a cry of pain. Fire seared him, burned through his veins and setting his skin aflame. He fell down the hole, and weakly closed it before Pitch could join him.

Bunnymund glanced down at his chest; a single arrow stuck out of his fur, darkening it and turning the soft gray pelt red. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the tip of the arrow and yanked it out. It burned, burned like flaming coals embedded into his skin, but it was out. It was out, and that was all that...

His rabbit hole suddenly got bigger. _No, _Bunnymund thought in horror. _I'm getting smaller. _Jack's broken staff, once little more than sticks, now were like logs. _What? _the pooka thought in shock. _How did...?_

Then it hit him. He glared at the arrow, just now disintegrating in a tiny black pile on the floor. _Pitch crossed the line, _he thought grimly. _But now's not the time for that. I promised ta get the staff. I'm gonna keep that promise. _

Bunnymund fumbled with the staff, but managed to pick it up with his teeth. Some leftover eggs, now much too big for the pouch, managed to scoot themselves underneath his boomerang and more-or-less carry it along. It was slow, tedious work as they traveled through the rabbit holes.

Bunnymund scowled, or scowled as best he could with sticks in his mouth. No he sort of understood how Jack felt - they were both just scraping by.

* * *

Jack whooped in delight and threw that darn wooden airplane as hard as he could. It soared through the arching spirals of North's toy factory, through the archways and to the top of the roof before gently gliding back down. One of the yetis, who he stole the airplane from, only rolled its eyes and continued to work.

"Did you _see _that?" Jack asked, grabbing the nearest yeti and lightly shaking it. Its head bounced back and forth on its shaggy shoulders. "That was _awesome."_

"Mmfurgle," the yeti scowled. Jack had no idea what that meant, but he decided that meant that _Yes. Yes, your throw was awesome _indeed.

"Yeah," Jack grinned, running to pick up another airplane. "I know." He reached for one, but the yeti that was painting them shot Jack the death glare. "What?" Jack scowled. "North said to help you."

"Urmgle." The yeti didn't look convinced.

"Yeah, well," Jack grinned, "I'm your _tester. _I'm _testing _the toys, to make sure they work." And with that, he grabbed another airplane and threw that thing into the air, whooping as it caught wind and soared. After all, just because he lost his powers didn't mean that he couldn't have a little _fun. _

Suddenly he spotted a pair of elves. They meandered down the hall, animatedly talking and gesturing with their hands. Jack smirked; how easy it would be to just freeze the ground a little and...

He turned away, scowling. The airplane suddenly bounced off one of the many spires inside the toy factory and wobbled in the air, then spiraled to the ground like it had been shot down.

Suddenly he heard voices; it was Tooth, asking North about something. The mischievous grin returned; they were probably talking about something secret. He backed against the door to listen.

* * *

"North." North turned from the pedestal to Tooth's worried voice. She was wringing her hands together anxiously as she fluttered in the air. "Did... did you find anything?"

North sighed and faced the moon above. "No," he said sadly. "Man in the Moon is silent."

Tooth's wings momentarily stopped beating, and she dropped a tiny bit before picking herself up again. "B-but Jack will be fine, right?" she asked.

"I don't know, Tooth," North said sadly. "I've heard about Guardians losing their powers - just look at Sandy - but I've never heard of one turning _human. _It's... it's... impossible," he finished lamely.

"But it happened," Tooth stated. "A-and Man in the Moon has to have a reason, right?" she continued, desperate hope filling her voice. "He _has _to, he wouldn't just...!"

"Tooth." North turned to her with a strained smile. "If it's Jack, he'll be fine. That boy has enough life in him to make up for it."

Tooth blinked her watery violet eyes, then slapped a smile on her face and nodded. The stress was just getting to her, that's all. "Yeah," she agreed.

Suddenly there was a small rumble and a shake, and without warning a hope appeared at their feet. North backed up with a single eyebrow raised like only he could. Suddenly two sticks were thrown from the hole, and with a gasp a very small, tiny, fluffy little bunny hopped out. Its fur was matted slightly, and the gray pelt was dyed scarlet in the front. Tooth's heart skipped a beat; it looked so ragged, so tired and...

North's eyes widened. "Bunnymund? Bunnymund, is that you?"

The pooka nodded, then rolled over on its back. "I'm..." _gasp_ "-never..." _wheeze_ "-doing that..." _pant _"-again."

"Oh, Bunny," Tooth crooned, bending down to lightly pick up the pooka in her arms. She _never _would have done it if Bunnymund was his normal size, but right now he was just so pathetic looking and so darn _cute _she couldn't resist. "What happened?"

"Pitch is what happened,mate," Bunnymund nearly growled when he more-or-less recovered. From the rabbit hole, a few random eggs popped out. "I'll tell you more about that later. But for now, where is that... that..." he scowled, trying to think of a good nickname, "-softskin. I found his staff."

"He's helping the yetis make toys," North said hastily.

"He's _helping?" _Bunnymund scoffed. "That boy can't help to save his..."

"Bunny." Tooth's eyes narrowed, but when the pooka turned to face her with his small, fuzzy lil' head she couldn't stay mad very long.

"Ah - sorry," he said quickly, then turned back to North. "Anyway, Pitch. He attacked me, saying something about breaking Jack's staff and then breaking one of us."

"And what about Jack?" Tooth cut it, nearly frantic. "Does he know?"

Bunnymund shook his head. "I don't think so... it _almost _seems like he's just going out of his way to hurt the brat."

At that North stood to his full height. "We won't let that happen," he stated. Baby Tooth, hovering by her momma Tooth, suddenly perked up and took off through the crack in the door.

"Sandy was the first victim," Bunnymund growled. Tooth flinched at the memory, then turned away to hide her face. "One of us is next... Pitch won't stop at nothing for the kid. He can't find out..."

There was a gasp from the other side of the door. North's eyes widened and he rushed forward, the other Guardians close behind, and threw open the door.

Jack's eyes were briefly hidden by his brown hair, but his head jerked up to North. His silver eyes, lined with brown, were wide. In his hand was Baby Tooth; he was idly stroking her head with his thumb. Behind North, Tooth let out a sort of pained sound.

"I... uh... I helped out with the toys," Jack stammered out, forcing a smile. North stared as the smile easily slipped off Jack's face - even he couldn't keep up the façade very long.

"Jack," Tooth whispered, fluttering over North's shoulder. "Jack, it's okay, Pitch won't hurt..."

Jack didn't hear the rest; he didn't _want _to hear the rest. It was all of his fault, all of it. Bunnymund was hurt and tiny because of him, and now Pitch is going after the rest of the Guardians. Why? To hurt _him, _all because he didn't join Pitches side...

Tooth watched Jack's figure disappear down the long hall; he nearly tripped on a stray elf once or twice. "Jack!" she cried out, preparing to dart forward but North placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "North," she whispered, eyes filled with tears.

But North, eyes filled with an emotion she couldn't identify, simply shook his head no.

* * *

_ Done! I tried to make this chapter extra-good and put in extra-effort for it; after all, I owed you guys after the previous slow chapter. And please, don't hesitate to let me know if you have any ideas that you think should happen! :D I love ideas! Until next time! ~Rand0mSmil3z_


	4. Chapter 4

_Omigosh you guys! 100+ followers, over 60 favs, over 1000 views?! Holy Helicopter! That's too cool. I'm absolutely flipping out. Never ever, ever ever __ever __would have guessed that this would become this popular! Dude, I didn't even think that this would become popular! Thank you all for proving me wrong! :D :D :D_

_ Now, for all of you who guessed (correctly) that Pitch didn't know about Jack (hisokauzumaki, Floral Child, Pepper07, Lightningpool, and all of the others that were wondering) - this chapter is for you! :D_

_ arrowtosparrow: This story takes place right after Pitch breaks Jack's staff, so I might add something (like Sandy, or the blizzard of '68) to make it seem more... probable that this story happened? Something like that, but _other _than that, no. No spoilers. :) If there is one, I'll post it on top of the chapter to let you know, okay? Hope this helped!_

_ Random Girl / Angie in Randomland: I shall steal your line! :D Muh-hahahah! (and it took me a while to figure out this whole story-posting business too. PM me and I can help you out. Can't wait to read one of your stories! :D)_

_ Ravenclaw Slytherin: Yay! No more tears! :D_

_ Jzaaa: Dude. You, my friend, are awesome. STILL grinning like a dork! :D :D_

_ Well, without further ado, let chapter four begin! _

* * *

The hallway passed as a blur, just a blur of browns and greens and reds. Elves cried out and dove out of Jack's way, spilling cookies and milk everywhere. Yetis pressed themselves against the wall, almost as if they were trying to become one with it.

Jack ran.

His harsh breathing burned in his lungs, and the bottom of his bare feet hurt as they slapped against the hard wooden floors. In his hands Baby Tooth chirped, though from fear or surprise he wasn't sure. He wasn't used to panting, having to catch his breath. His feet had never hurt before when he ran. He passed by a mirror, and time seemed to slow as he saw his reflection.

Wild, panic stricken silver eyes, rimmed with chocolate brown. Brown hair, plastered to his forehead. Cheeks red as he ran. He stepped on something sharp; it hurt.

Jack felt weak. He felt powerless, frail, the one who needed protecting. Pitch Black was out to kill the other Guardians, one by one, and for what? Him. Jack. Jack Frost.

He tore his gaze from his reflection and continued to run.

_I messed up. _

He turned a corner, nearly running into another unlucky elf, until he saw a room. The door swung open, and chill air escaped from it. The cold; though he wasn't used to the sting, it still felt familiar. He ducked into the room and gently shut the door, trying not to make a noise.

The frosty air burned his lungs and he panted, trying to control his breathing. The room looked abandoned; white sheets, layered with dust, covered the chairs and tables. That was good; no one would be here any time soon. But his favorite part was the window; it was huge, with a small little ledge sticking out of it. He limply sat down, and almost immediately Baby Tooth jumped out of his hands, chirping wildly.

"Sorry, lil' guy," Jack whispered. His feet were cold. "I didn't mean to drag you here with me."

But Baby Tooth only shook her head violently and dove for his face, cuddling up next to him. Jack's lips barely twitched into a smile and he idly pet her soft feathered head. He never noticed before, but Baby Tooth was warm too.

_Warmth... _he grabbed one of the random sheets draped on one of the chairs, and sneezed when the dust flew everywhere. _Maybe it's not such a bad thing. _

The landscape outside was perfect. White coated everything; the trees, the ground, the towers of North's North Pole castle. Jack loved the snow... it covered up all of the imperfections on the ground - the ruts, the roads, the grime - and erased it all in white.

Almost without thinking, he placed his hand against the window to make it frost over. Instead, the thin layer of frost that already decorated the clear pane melted on his fingertips. Jack simply stared as the melted water ran down his fingers and into the cuff of his blue jacket.

_I'm turning human. _

The realization hit him full-force, like a knee to the gut and a punch to the face, all at the same time. He felt a lump at his throat, like a hard, burning rock, and tried not to cry.

Three hundred years of Jack Frost. Three hundred years of being invisible, three hundred years of waiting. Three hundred years of _nothing, _and now, just when he finally found his purpose, it would all be taken away with a simple snap of wood.

In his hands, Baby Tooth chirped sadly. Her green eyes, wide and watery, watched him. Jack choked on a cross between a laugh and sob.

"I'm okay, Baby Tooth," he whispered. His hands were trembling ever so slightly as he struggled to keep himself together. His voice cracked and the first tear fell, a liquid salty orb, down his cheek and onto his jacket.

"I'm okay."

* * *

North sighed as Tooth's green feathered figure vanished through the door. He should have figured that he couldn't have kept her here very long; it was obvious to everyone that she had a soft-spot for the boy. Strangely enough, so did North; Jack Frost was like the son he could never have.

"North." Bunnymund's dark eyes were filled with concern, which immediately struck North odd. "Will Jack be alright?"

"What?" North teased, carefully setting the injured, fluffy bunny on one of the nearby tables. "Is the fierce Easter Bunny getting jealous?"

Bunnymund scowled. "No, mate. Yikes. I'm just... I don't want to have to protect some flighty kid, is all," he huffed.

"Not Jack. I got a feeling he's going to be fine. I," he added with a grin, "-feel it in my belly." Bunnymund rolled his eyes as North pulled out some of the bandages; he was starting to run out. _Though, _he cast a wry glance at the pooka's new tiny body, _I won't be needing much anyway. _

"I trust solid facts more than your belly," Bunnymund grumbled and North carefully wound the bandages around his fluffy tummy. "Ey! Watch it!"

"Sorry," North grinned, leaning back to admire his handiwork. "How do you feel?"

Bunnymund's eyes narrowed. "Tiny and cute, mate. I positively hate it."

"Not that," North said, rolling his eyes. "I meant the bandages."

"Oh." The pooka blinked. "They feel a'right." Suddenly he shivered.

North arched an eyebrow. "You cold or something?"

"Only when Frostbite is around," he muttered unhappily, then froze, floppy ears straining to raise above his head.

North suddenly had a bad feeling. "Bunny, what..."

"Shaddap for a sec," Bunnymund hissed, wildly turning his head. He could _feel _it, that bone-crushing cold, the silence that seeped under your skin. Then he saw it; it was for a split second, but he saw the dark spot on the wall dash behind a wall. Instantly his blood froze in his veins; how did Pitch make it here? He shouldn't have been able to...

And then he remembered when Pitch appeared over the snow globe the first day all the Guardians met up. It was perfectly in Pitch Black's abilities to appear anywhere he wanted...

Bunnymund ground his teeth. _I should have known that I would be followed. _"North," he growled, turning the giant Russian looming over him. "Pitch is here."

North didn't even question it, didn't even protest. Bunnymund wouldn't joke about these types of things. In a blur of movement he grabbed his two swords that leaned against the wall and threw Bunnymund over his shoulder. "Lead the way," he ordered.

Bunnymund grimly smiled; now was time for revenge. "Aye aye, mate."

* * *

"_Jack!" _Tooth's cried echoed down the hallway as she zipped down them. Baby Tooth had stopped talking to her, almost as if she fell asleep. She flew above the yetis and elves; they glanced up at her appreciatively when she passed.

Tooth, however, was frantic. _Poor Jack, _she sniveled, peeping into an empty room. _He's just a child... To go through all of this so suddenly... _She quickly checked the next room, then the next and the next. Tears budded in her eyes, tears of empathy for the boy and tears of anger. Pitch would pay; he would pay for what he did to Jack. After all, Pitch Black didn't just take away his powers, he took away his smile too, and his laughter and childlike attitude.

And for that, the Spirit of Fear was going to pay.

She zipped into another room. For a moment she thought she saw Jack, thought she saw his new-brown hair on the floor, but it turned out to only be a forgotten pillow. One of her tears spilled over and she angrily wiped it away continuing onto the next room.

_Poor Jack. _

Suddenly one of the yetis waved her over. "Agiblaglwa," it said. Tooth wasn't quite sure what that meant exactly, but it was obvious that it wanted her to follow.

"D-Did you find Jack," Tooth gushed, flitting back and forth behind him. She was worried, but also nervous; what was she supposed to say to him?

The yeti nodded. "Waga," it replied, and opened the door. Tooth's breath hitched in her throat. Jack was by the window, looking out at the bleached-white world. On his shoulder was Baby Tooth, green and small, gently snoring as she slept.

The relief was instantaneous. "Thank you," Tooth whispered, turning to the yeti. It only smiled, bowed, and hobbled back down the hall.

She turned back to Jack. He looked so peaceful, so fragile. "Jack, how are you feeling?" she asked, voice gentle as she softly fluttered towards him. "I was worried, so..." And then she realized that he wouldn't be able to hear her. After all, Jack was fast asleep.

Tooth smiled; she couldn't help it, and gently brushed away his brown hair away from his eyes. Then she stopped, and looked closer. _Tears? _she wondered. Sure enough, his lashes were damp.

In Tooth's eyes, her tears returned. She wasn't sure why she cried; maybe it was because of everything that was going on. Maybe it was because two more Guardians were out of the fight. Maybe it was because she was scared. In the end she decided that she cried simply because Jack cried; that was the only reason she needed.

Baby Tooth blinked opened one of its gorgeous green eyes and chirped softly. Tooth smiled, smiled through the tears, and stroked her baby's small head. It sighed happily and snuggled up closer to Jack. Within moments, Baby Tooth was fast asleep.

Slowly, quietly, Tooth reached over and pulled off a blanket from one of the chairs. Dust pillowed into the air like gray snow. As gently as she could, she placed that blanket over Jack. In his sleep he scowled, then turned his head and sighed. Tooth giggled and wiped away her tears.

"Don't worry, Jack," she whispered, moving his brown hair out of his eyes again. "You'll be a-okay before you know it."

Suddenly someone behind her laughed. It was a cold laugh, a malicious laugh, the type of laugh that haunted her. The air seemed to chill and grow heavy, and black sand crept along the wall. Fear, burning cold fear, seemed to draw the air straight out of her lungs.

A voice spoke, a voice colder than death and crueler than Tooth remembered. "Why, Toothiana," Pitch Black said, his voice a sneer, "are you sure about that?"

* * *

_I know! D: I'm sorry for ending it at such a cliffhanger, and it's terrible, but I knew that if I kept going I would never be able to stop, and this seemed like a great place to. Anyway, I had to get up and walk around a bit while writing this chapter. Especially the end. Oh my goodness, the ending just seemed to write itself. Once again, I'm sorry! I'll try to update again soon ASAP, but right now I have to do my homework! (who gives out tests the day after we get back from school?! Omigosh such a pain!) Anyway, until next time,_

_ ~Rand0mSmil3z_

_PS- Thank you for all of the wonderful, amazing reviews! All of them are so happy and cheerful, and it's wonderful to know that you guys are really enjoying this! I'll work extra extra EXTRA hard for now on, I promise!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Omigosh everyone I'm soooooorrrrrryyyyy! The cliffhanger was terrible, I know! D: So, I'll post my usual rant/ replies on the bottom and just get on with it!_

_ Here is chapter five!_

* * *

Tooth gasped and spun. Pitch Black leaned against the open doorway, pale and lean, with a smirk plastered on his gray, flat face.

"Pitch," she glared. "What do you want?" Her voice was hard and, to her credit, didn't waver. She was afraid, but she wasn't afraid for herself - she was afraid for Jack. "What do you want?" she repeated, voice louder this time.

Pitch snorted, then burst out laughed. "North has gotten too soft," he chuckled. "Adopting random children off the street? That's... cute."

_Random children? _Tooth didn't dare turn, though her eyes widened. For a moment anger seared through her - Jack wasn't just some random child - but then she realized; Pitch didn't _know. _Tooth clamped her mouth shut, glowering at the Spirit of Fear. _And I won't let him know, either, _she image of Jack, sleeping by the window, flashed through her mind. Her small feathered hands knotted into fists. _This time,_ she scowled,_ I'll protect him._

"Anyway, Toothiana." Pitchs flippant voice snapped her back to reality. She watched in horror as he summoned that black sand into his palm and, slowly, turned it into a thin, black dart. Pitch only smiled. "You are now... unnecessary." The dart slowly rose into the air, captivating her attention. "Give my regards to Jack."

He released the dart.

Tooth nearly dodged out of the way, then recalled Jack sleeping behind her, totally oblivious to the world. She spun, and he wings sliced through the dart. Black sand spilled into the air.

Pitch laughed. "Is that it?" he asked haughtily. Behind him _hundred _of darts formed and wavered in the air.

Now fear for herself set in as well. _I can't stop them all! _she thought, wide-eyed. Before the darts released, she spun and launched herself at Jack. She could at least protect him, _had _to protect him...

Their was a cry of pain, and she could hear the steady heartbeat of sand falling to the floor. Tooth blinked open her eyes, half-aware that her hands were shaking and Jack was still asleep in her arms, though he had a pained expression on his face. _He's all right, _she thought in relief, then realized: _I'm all right too. _

_ What?_

"Are ya okay, mate?" Tooth glanced up in shock. Little Bunnymund grinned down at her from North's shoulder; even she had to admit that he looked fierce with the bandages wrapped around his waist.

Tooth only blinked. "Wh- What? How did...?"

"How did we get here in time?" North filled in. Tooth couldn't see his face, but she could hear the grin in his voice. "It's all thanks to Bunnymund here." His twin blades gleamed in the setting sun; they reminded her of pirate swords.

Bunnymunds voice was dry. "Don't mention it. Anyway," he added, "how's Ja-"

"_Shh!" _Tooth shrieked, released Jack to clamp Bunnymund's mouth shut. "He doesn't-"

"What are you whispering about?" Pitch, the shadow, peeled himself off the wall. A scowl marked his face, and he looked quite angry. "Another plan? Another low-blow?"

"I hit him when he wasn't looking," North filled in, sounding positively pleased with himself.

Tooth chuckled, her eyes filling with tears of relief. "Thank you, you two," she whispered.

Bunnymund only nodded. "Anytime."

By this time Pitch had completely peeled himself off the way. His black cloak was torn in one spot, most likely from one of North's swords. "You'll pay for that," he growled.

North grinned - he liked fighting more than he let on. "Then come," he said, and got into defensive position.

With that Pitch smiled and formed two massive black arrows, then launched them. Bunnymund jumped off of North's shoulder just as the Russian's blades cut through the sand and, with a flash, destroyed them completely. Two more arrows; two more flashes.

Suddenly Pitch changed tactics. He merged with the wall, becoming a shadow once again, and the Guardians could only watch helplessly as he streaked down the walls of the hallway. "After him!" Bunnymund shouted, already bounding after Pitch Black.

Tooth turned to North. He smiled and nodded, then grew deathly serious as he ran to follow the pooka. She was quick to follow, but not before turning back to Jack. He was still asleep, exhausted and frail. _I'll protect you, _she swore, and left the room.

* * *

Pitch smiled to himself as he raced down the hallway. Elves shrieked and huddled against each other, and some of the more daring yetis through whatever toys they were carrying at him. Paint cans splattered against the walls, dolls bounced off the wood, and paper airplanes were crumbled against the timber. One paper airplane had a dent in it he noticed, almost as if had already been thrown against a wall.

The thought cheered him up immensely, and before he knew it he was suddenly in a very open room. _This is good, _he thought. _I can use my sand in here. _With that he peeled himself off of the wall and waited, simply waited.

Tiny, quick thumps told him that the first of the broken Guardians were coming, most likely the furball. Soon the heavy clomps of North echoed down the hallway, and Pitch could just make out the flutter of wings.

_"There he is!" _shouted the furry bunny-rat, pointing at him. Its small ears flopped limply on its head as it spun around.

North glared up at Pitch; why, he was so fat Pitch idly wondered how the floorboards didn't crash in. "North," Pitch sneered, "I didn't know that you were running an adoption service here." Then he noticed that the massive man's eyes widened, almost in surprise, before realization set in. Pitch could feel any emotion; he was the Spirit of Fear after all, and the sheer amount of surprise surprised _him. _

Pitch smiled; he could practically _smell _the secrets here. Maybe he should uncover them, peel the secrets away like half-healed scabs, and see what injury lay underneath...

Without warning something flew past his head and nailed the wall behind him. Pitch turned; a half-embedded sword quivered in the hard wood. _Well, _he thought idly, _that could have hurt. _

"Leave, Pitch!" North shouted. His voice rang throughout the room and seemed to bounce around inside his head. Even the many yetis and elves that lingered dashed out of the doorways, shaking. They were _afraid. _

"Why should I?" Pitch asked. The fear was thick here, just _oozed _off all of the living creatures. The elves, the more petty ones, were afraid that the infamous Pitch Black would steal their cookies and milk. The yetis were afraid that Pitch would break their toys, but the juiciest fear came off of waves of - he never would have guessed it - Toothiana.

But her fear tasted bitter on his tongue. _She's not afraid of me, _he realized. _She's afraid for someone else. _

The image flashed through his mind, of the human boy sleeping by the window, and he couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face. _She's afraid for _him.

"Toothiana," he said slowly, clearly. He enjoyed the way she shuddered, enjoyed the way she flinched from his gaze. "Who was that boy?"

At that her fear spiked and tasted oh so sweet, maybe even sweeter than the Black Death of Europe in the 14th century. "Nobody," she hissed between her teeth, hands balling into fists. "Leave him alone."

Pitch's smile broadened. "So he _is _somebody," he smirked.

"_YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!" _North's voice boomed off the walls, jostling his skull. Without warning the massive man was inches in front of him, looking positively lethal and - as for as the Spirit of Fear was concerned - terrifying.

"Get away from me," Pitch snarled, summoning the black sand to his palm. At the same time he allowed himself to fall backward, right into the wall. North's sword cut through wood as black sand surrounded him, almost like a cocoon.

_"North!" _Tooth shrieked, and dashed through the air to safe her fellow Guardian. Suddenly there was another flash of light, and the cocoon of sand exploded in all directions, smashing against the walls and smacking against the floor.

North scowled and yanked his second sword out of the wall. "Tricky fellow," he frowned. Tooth only sighed in relief.

"Don't do that agai-"

_Smack. _

Tooth's vision flared and she was falling, tumbling out of the sky like a shooting star. Green feathers were brutally yanked from her skin, her head ached from _something. _The last thing she saw was North - he looked panicked, shouting her name. Pitch was laughing, laughing and laughing and laughing. She closed her eyes -

- and let herself slip into unconsciousness.

_I'll protect you._

* * *

Jack was falling. Darkness surrounded him, trying to suck him up.

_"Dad."_

His eyes widened. He _knew _that voice, he had to find it... it was so close, so painfully close.

_"Dad."_

He cried out against the darkness, trying to push its thin back tendrils away. He could _see _it, could see that tiny flare of light in the distance.

_"Dad."_

He gritted his teeth and managed to free his arm. He stretched out his hand, stretched as far as it would go. His fingers splayed, he reached forward.

_"Dad."_

The moment before his fingertips brushed against the small orb of light, it vanished. Jack's eyes widened as small glowing specks of dust disintegrated to nowhere. It wasn't enough; it was too late.

Suddenly something stabbed against his cheek. With a startled cry his eyes snapped open, and with a flurry of arms and legs and sheets he fell painfully to the floor.

"Ouch," he mumbled, propping himself against the wall and rubbing his head. Suddenly Baby Tooth was in his face, fluttering wildly, eyes wide and panicked. Jack immediately knew something was wrong.

Without warning Baby Tooth slammed her little body into his face again; she had surprising strength for being so small.

"What is it?" Jack asked, now rubbing his sore cheek. Baby Tooth shook its head and launched back into the air, hovering and madly jerking its head back and forth. Only one thing could have happened to put Baby Tooth in such a panic.

Jack stood up. "Is it Tooth?"he asked, heart sinking when Baby Tooth nodded profusely. His breath caught in his throat, but he swallowed it down. Just because he was human didn't mean he couldn't help.

_Right?_

"Lead the way, Baby Tooth," he said with renewed determination. Baby Tooth nodded and zipped out the room; he was quick to follow.

Spilled paint littered the hallways. Forgotten dolls lay forgotten on the floor, and broken wooden airplanes lay splintered on the ground. One he recognized as the one he threw earlier; how did it get here?

Baby Tooth stopped at the door, frantic.

Without missing a beat, Jack kicked it open, prepared for a fight. He wasn't prepared for _this. _

Bunnymund lay ragged on the floor, eyes closed and looking worse for wear. Baby Tooth immediately darted to her momma, crying, lightly patting Tooth's limp body with her small wings. North was staring at Jack, eyes wide, but Jack only saw the red. Black sand littered the floor and crunched under his spare feet.

"Ah," Pitch grinned. "So you are the one North adopted." _What?! _"Aren't you special?"

Jack shot North a look that said, _What is he talking about? _But North didn't see; his expression was drawn and pained, as if waging a mental war with himself.

Jack turned back to Pitch defiantly, wishing for his staff. Even if it was broken, he could still club people with it. "I'm not afraid of you," he growled.

Suddenly Pitch's eyes widened, revealing his yellow irises. "I know that voice," he said, then jumped down and began to walk towards him. Jack's face scrunched up, but then he realized - Pitch didn't know about his... condition. Not yet, anyway.

"Get away from me," Jack snarled.

Pitch's face suddenly broke out in a smile, a smile that sent shivered down his spine. "Why, it is you. You look absolutely _terrible," _he cackled. "Practically a human already! Who would have known that staff was so important?!" He broke off laughing and just laughed. His voice echoed in the room and seemed to surround Jack, weighing around him, pressing against him like a solid mass.

Angry and hurt, Jack spontaneously picked up an airplane and chucked it at Pitch's head. He had a dead-aim from throwing snowballs during winter, and the airplane crashed against the back of Pitch's head.

The laughter stopped.

Jack's triumphant grin slipped off his face as Pitch slowly turned. _Uh-oh, _he thought, and took another step back. What he would give for his staff...

Pitch's yellow eyes blazed. "You'll pay for that," he hissed, and took another step forward. North struggled to get back onto his feet, only to fall back to the ground.

Jack's lips twitched into a grin. "Wanna bet?"

* * *

_Ahhh. The fight scene. The fight scene was painful to write, seeing as I'm not as good at them, so please don't hate me! D: I tried my best here- that has to count for something, right? Also, to all of you who were just _dying _to get to Pitch's reaction to the new-humanified Jack, I certainly hope I made you all proud! :D _

_ and OMIGOSH you guys! We are four reviews away from one-hundred... we already broke 100 with follows, favorites, and most definitely views! I love you all so much! Thank you!_

_ Anyway, I feel bad asking, but I have zero artistic talent at all. Does anyway mind helping me out with a cover picture? :D I didn't want to use any images from google because, as most of you know, I love creativity and originality! You don't have to if you don't want to, but you would really be helping me out! :D :D Thank you all!_

_ Now. For the replies. Well, to start off, a lot of people were asking what happens when Jack becomes fully human? Will his 300 years catch up to him, will he die, etc etc etc. AAAANNNNNDDDD you're just going to have to wait and find out! :D That _is _what my story is about, after all. Sorry everyone!_

_ hisokauzumaki: hahahaha_

_ CHiKa-RoXy: Awww thank you! :D I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope you liked this chapter!_

_ Queen Kazma: NOOO DON'T DIE! I HAVE UPDATED DON'T DIE! D: _

_ CatLover1609: Thank you! :D This kinda made my entire day! Yeah, it's hard to update so often, but this story is seriously fun to write! Enjoy your sugar rush!_

_ Lightningpool: Ah. I feel for you, dude. Good luck on your quiz!_

_ Jzaaa: Omigosh. That review was PRICELESS. And thanks for being understanding hahaha :D and thanks! _

_ kaybay1158: Yep! If Baby Tooth dies Too will die, and vice-versa. Or at least, that's how I understand it from the movie... I might be wrong. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Omigosh. School = Seven Crappy Hours Of Our Lives. (sorry for language, won't happen again, but it was so funny i had to share. not original by the way, I read that somewhere, but it was PERFECT). Had a huge AP Psychology test today... that was a bundle of joy. And then I got sick :( I sound like a yeti (Agiblawaaa...) XD Anyway..._

_ : AWWWW! :'D That was so sweet! Of _COURSE _I'll update another chapter for you!_

_ thegreatwhitewold / Lightningpool: Hahaha I'm glad you enjoyed the airplane stunt! :D_

_ scrubslova: Thanks! But that fight scene was a literal beast to write D: But hopefully I'll get better at them the further this story continues, because I simply ADORE fight scenes! :D :D _

_ Jzaaa: That was pure brilliance wrapped up in a burrito of amazing and layered with awesome sauce. :D :D :D_

_ DeafLizgon: Dude- this is Jack we're speaking up. He would NEVER *please note heavy sarcasm* do ANYTHING extraordinarily dumb! NEVER...!_

_ hisokauzumaki: TROY. 'Nuff said._

_ S122355: OH! Thanks for clearing that up for me! SO EVERYONE, IF ONE OF TOOTH'S BABIES DIES, SHE WON'T DIE. But if Tooth dies, her babies will die. (Thank you! :D)_

_ Olivia Ferrante Di Ruffano: OMIGOSH I LOVE YOU RIGHT NOW! Thank you so much! :D :D Omigosh, so excited to see what kind of cover you'll make! Ahhhh flipping out! I wasn't sure if anyone was going to respond to that, so thank you very very very much! _

_ KingdomArtemisHetalia: Awww thank you! :D And I hope you had a much better day today, and I hope you have a fantastic day tomorrow! Good luck!_

_ fanmanbookman: :D :D :D Thank you so much! I'm so happy that you like this story - hopefully I'll make you proud in this chapter, and the ones coming up too!_

_ shloop: this is only the beginning! }:D _

_ Ace: Hahaha You have no idea how happy I am that you're getting so into it! :D :D It's like, yay! I did something right! Hopefully I'll make you proud with this chapter!_

_ CatLover1609: Hahahaha I appreciate the gesture xD Thank you! _

_ (Yes, the replies were longer this time, but I'm getting a lot of replies and I simply love replying to all of them! I'm struggling to keep up here, not that I'm complaining any! :D) And to everyone else who's reading this right now: Thank you so much! :D :D Trust me, it's so exciting to read everyone's reviews - some make me laugh hysterically, some make me think, some make me smile at just how sweet they are - and I want you to know that I love you all! Thank you all for reading!_

_ Before we begin, WARNING. This here is a fight scene, and it's gonna get violent. And really, really sad. :'( I'll apologize in advance._

_ Now, for the start of Chapter 6. *ominous voice* You've been warned...!_

* * *

_What was I thinking?_

Black sand, in the shape of a dagger, streaked past him and into the far wall. With a yelp Jack turned, skidding slightly on the smooth floor, and sprinted a different direction. More daggers cut through the air behind him; he could feel the wind whistle past his ear. Suddenly he saw it; one of North's swords, abandoned on the floor. In a swift motion he bent down and picked it up mid-sprint, then turned to face Pitch Black.

Pitch was clearly angry from his airplane-stunt earlier; his forehead was wrinkled, his yellow eyes flashed like a cat's before the kill. Black sand elegantly curled behind him and gathering in Black's palms. Jack swallowed, eyes flickering towards North. He was still struggling to get to his feet, but it was clear that he was severely injured. Bunnymund was out for the count, and Tooth...Jack swallowed and turned away. He wasn't sure if she was alive or dead.

_No! _he thought angrily. _She's alive, she has to be alive. _

"Is that the best you can do, Pitch?" Jack taunted, raising the sword slightly. It trembled in his arms; the blade was ridiculously heavy, and in his hand's it would be little more than a club. But still, it was a weapon he could defend himself with and, more importantly, win. He clenched his jaw and glared at Pitch; if looks could kill, Pitch would be a smoldering speck on the ground.

_I'm not going to mess up this time. _

With a shout Jack charged forward, sword trailing behind him. He jumped as best he could and swung, only to realize that he couldn't move his arms. Jack glanced up at his hands, horrified.

Black sound, in the shape of whips, coiled around his wrists. Suddenly, with a painful jerk, the whips tightened and Jack dropped the sword with a pained cry. It fell on the floor with a rattle, and Pitch kicked it out of the way with a smile.

"Like I said," the Spirit of Fear said coolly, with his face inches away from Jack's, "you'll pay for that." At the same time a sort of midnight spear formed behind Pitch, slowly increasing in size and weight. Jack swallowed and strained against the bindings, feet kicking uselessly in the air. He couldn't lose, he _swore _that he wouldn't lose...

_Smack. _

Jack's eyes widened as a doll slowly peeled itself off of Pitch's face. If it were any other circumstances Jack would have laughed; Pitch's eyes were bulging with surprise, mouth slightly open in surprise. But right now, all he could do was stare in shock.

_What that...?_

There was a cry of delight, and Jack's head jerked towards the sound. A small pile of elves were circling some sort of wooden slingshot; a couple of them were holding it, some were filling it with ammo, and some pulled the rubber band back. They were all laughing and cheering, high-fiving each other from their spectacular aim.

Pitch snarled and summoned the black sand in his hand, shaped like a dart, but before he could launch it another doll hit his face. With a muffled shout he ripped off the doll and threw it on the floor, yellow eyes burning with raw fury.

Jack's breath caught in his throat, and he desperately twisted his head towards the elves. _"Run!"_ he shouted, kicking all the harder. He managed to nick Pitch's stomach with his foot. He grimly smiled at Pitch's surprised face - he could get used to the expression - when suddenly a hand slapped him across the face. His vision flared and he tasted copper.

"Don't test me, _human," _Pitch hissed. Jack rapidly blinked his eyes, trying to clear them. The elves were shouting now; one cried out in raw terror. "You're going to regret the day you were _born."_

"Hard to regret something I can't remember," Jack snarky replied, earning him another slap. He glared at Pitch, the sides of his mouth bruised and already swelling.

Pitch lowered Jack so that they were the exact same height, though Jack's feet were still inches above the floor with his hands were suspended in the air, tied together with the pitch black sand. "You're attitude," he growled, yellow eyes gleaming with hatred. "I've always hated your flippant attitude."

"Right back at ya," Jack said darkly. "How can you expect people to believe in you when..."

Thin, cold hands wrapped around Jack's neck, cutting off whatever he was going to say next. His eyes widened as he choked for air. This type of cold was unfamiliar to him, the type of cold that froze the body to the very soul. The icy feeling spider webbed down his neck, down his collarbone. Jack's vision dimmed as his burning lungs cried out for air. He was dimly aware of the elves shouting something, dimly aware of a loud roar that echoed off the walls. His vision continued to darkness, darken and swallow up the light of the room...

* * *

North watched in horror as black _things _inched down Jack's neck, almost like some disease. _Pitch is trying to kill the boy, _he realized with a jolt, then also realized that Jack's dominantly-blue eyes were rapidly turning browner.

And then it all clicked; the closer Jack got to death, the faster his turn to humanity became. _Immortality is like a reserve, _North thought grimly, painfully getting to his feet. _When it runs out... _He didn't want to think about what happened afterword, didn't want to know. Instead he darted forward, faster than what he thought possible, right at Pitch.

He wouldn't let Jack find out what happened when his time ran out, either.

* * *

Suddenly the pressure was released. Jack crumpled to the floor in a heap, holding his neck and gasping for air. This new human body of his was so fragile, so easily broken, like the smallest damage cracked it like an eggshell. Slowly the tendrils of darkness lining his vision seeped away and Jack glanced up. North was above him, wounded yet protective, his swords clashing with Pitch's black sand.

"North..." Jack rasped out, getting to his feet. "You're hurt..."

"I'm fine," North said, glancing over his shoulder to smile at him. In that moment something long and black pierced through North's red jacket, popping out the other side, stopping only inches from Jack's face. Time seemed to slow to a painful stop.

North's eyes widened as he slowly, so slowly, sank to his knees. Pitch was smiling behind him, two long black sand-whips twirling behind him like a cat's twitching tail, looking positively pleased with himself. The elves, those that stayed to help the fight, were crying. The yetis roared.

Jack was silent, brown-rimmed blue eyes wide. Slowly, painfully, the third black whip in North's stomach slid out. North turned to look at Jack, the once-warm eyes slowly dimming. "Run," he whispered.

Time flashed to speed.

_"NO!" _Jack screamed, launching himself at Pitch. But a yeti wrapped one furry arm around him, pulling the boy back, and began to run the opposite direction. Tears burned Jack's eyes as he fought against the yeti, fighting with all the fight he had left.

North couldn't be dead. That was impossible, inconceivable. North was the first one who greeted him here, taught him about the cores, taught him what it means to _care. _

_ And now..._

_ -_Jack choked on the burning lump in his throat-

_He's gone. _

Just like that.

_NO! _"Let me _go!" _Jack screamed, trying to push away the yeti. His eyes were locked onto Pitch, who was slowly getting smaller the further they ran. Pitch's gray head was raised towards the ceiling and he was laughing, simply laughing, as if he had done the world a service. Anger tore through Jack with such ferocity it stunned him, but he fed off of the emotions like a starving beast.

_"Let me go!" _he shrieked, twisting and turning, trying to get away.

But then the yeti turned its shaggy head towards him, and Jack saw the tears running down its furry face. _This guy is hurting more than me, _Jack realized in an instant. He choked and turned, watching Pitch slowly disappear as they ran further and further away.

One of the yetis was carrying the unconscious Bunnymund, still bandaged and still hurt. Another yeti was carrying Tooth, limp, princess-style in its arms. The side of her head was bruised, as if something heavy had crashed against her, and Jack's stomach twisted. He should have _been _there, should have protected her...

On top of her, Baby Tooth was simply bawling. Jack's breath hitched in his throat and he turned away, trying to focus on something else, _anything _else.

Then he realized- "My staff," he said, voice sounding taunt, almost as if a feather could break it in half. The yeti suddenly got a determined look in its face and it nodded, sprinting down the hallway.

Within moments they were back in the globe room. All of the lights had flickered off of it, all of the lights except one. Jack didn't pay much attention though; small pinpricks of light were at the back of his mind. Instead he jumped out of the yeti's arms and staggered to his staff, still broken in two, and picked it up.

Lifeless and dead. Just like before. _Just like..._

Jack took a ragged breath and clung to his staff all the tighter. Suddenly one of the yetis threw something; it whizzed past his face and smashed against the floor. Suddenly a portal opened, with hints of green and long graceful columns that stretched towards the sky. Jack instantly recognized it as Tooth's palace.

The yeti that carried him gave him a little push, then glanced behind him nervously. Jack idly noticed that it was carrying a strangely-familiar box, not that he cared. He felt like he could just lie down and simply give up, but sheer force of will kept him standing. He had to be strong now, had to be strong for Tooth and Bunnymund.

_North..._

Jack tore his gaze away from the hallway, took another ragged breath, and stepped into the portal. Tears gathered in his eyes without his permission; he hated to admit it, but North was almost like the father he never had. And now he's gone, just like that, in a single instant. Right in front of him. He could have done something, _anything _instead of just stared.

The other yetis were close behind him as green blurred past his face.

_I messed up. _

* * *

Pitch's laughter echoed on the walls, surrounding him with their sweet sound. All other living creatures had disappeared; he presumed that the elves and those walking carpets called yetis were all hiding in their secret places. After all, who would lead them now? North was gone, vanished in a shower of golden sparks, disappeared from the world.

_Success, _Pitch chuckled. After all, though he didn't destroy Toothiana, her life was traded for another. In a thousand years he never would have guessed that he would be able to lay to waste the famous North, but fate was cunning that way.

But he also discovered that Jack, Jack Frost, was becoming human. _Because of me, _he thought, pleased. How he loved to see those blue eyes fill with pain, fill with surprise and shock. But what he loved _most _was when those sapphire orbs were filled with raw, feral _hate. _

Those were the eyes he loved the best.

_If I destroy Toothiana, _Pitch wondered almost hungrily, _will I be able to see those eyes again?_

The thought cheered his already wonderful mood immensely, and he stalked down the hallway chuckling to himself. Jack and the other Guardians were running from him, like a game of hide-and-go-seek.

And the Spirit of Fear, Pitch Black, was all too willing to play.

* * *

_... and now you know why I apologized in advance. D: I feel evil right now... :(Hahaha I should change my username from Rand0mSmil3z to Rand0m_Boughts_of_Evil. _

_ Ah. Sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm playing this cold that I've developed... honestly, it's a beast. D: Even worse when you have to take this ridiculous test with it... omigosh, I died a little bit inside. BUT I UPLOADED A CHAPTER ANYWAY, EVEN THOUGH I FEEL LIKE DEATH. WHY? Because you all are awesome and have been so nice to me! 3 Honestly, still in shock over how popular this story has become. Anyway, I'm trying my best to make Jack a little more boss... I feel way too cruel when my story turns into angysty. D': But then again, the poor kid (well, I guess he's techinically a little older than me... Actually, a lot, if you're counting the 300 years. My gosh, what a granpa *teases Jack*) Anyway, like I was saying, the poor kid can only take so much. :'( and I would cry too if my father-figure was killed right in front of me. I'd cry a lot more than Jack is. :( But he's a fighter! He'll pull through somehow! (but I still feel absolutely cruel D': )_

_ Anyway, THANK YOU ALL WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO MY CRY FOR HELP! :D You have no idea how excited I am right now! To all of you that replied to my plea for cover art, ahhhh! I love you a billion times as much now! You have no idea how thankful I am! :D :D :D I'm so excited to see your work, and I wish you the best of luck! :D :D Thank you!_


	7. Chapter 7

_So before I begin, a lot of people have freaked out at me. D: And for that, I'm sorry! I felt terrible writing the end of North *sniff :'( * But... aidfhiqfqn inner fight with myself right now, but I just want to say stay calm and relax. :) Yes, the story is sad now (T_T) but it'll get better. I promise. Pinky-promise. :) :) :) But I won't tell you anymore, because this story is still in progress and I don't want to spoil it. Trust me, it's more difficult that you can imagine haha. But remember; this is a fairy tale, and all fairy tales have happy endings :)_

_ Jzaaa: Omigosh. You don't know how much I needed to read that review right then. :') I still feel really mean though haha D: poor North. This story is for you, big man. _

_ Lightningpool: NO WAY?! A HOVERCRAFT!? *seething in jealousy* That's awesome! :D _

_ isthisparadise: Hahaha :D I'm updating RIGHT NOW! _

_ The White Grim: D: D: D: D: I'm sorrryyyyyyy! B-But I promise it'll have a happy ending! D: D: I'm working on it! Working as fast as possible! It's hard to submit two chapters in a day... and I still have to write a AP Spanish essay and two more essays for AP Psychology. ahkwshdiehgw... Oops. Got off track. But I'm soooooorrrryyyyyy! D':_

_ Sylvynn: :D Your review made me smile... thank you! I'm glad you're reading Humanity and enjoying the story! :D :D :D_

_ MorbidCheese: When I saw your name in my inbox I knew I had to say something. Your name is AWESOME. _

_ Omigosh. My cold is killing me. _

_ And on that note, let Chapter Seven begin. :)_

* * *

Tooth blinked open her eyes. Beautiful arches - _her arches - _gently spiraled through her hollowed-out palace. But there were the obvious signs of disrepair; some of the spires were crumbling away, the halls lacking the usual bustle of the Baby Teeth. Her stores of teeth were gone, empty and hollow.

Her head pounded and she slowly sat up, wincing as her head ached. Suddenly something fuzzy helped prop her up, grunting in almost a gentle manner, and a blur of green attacked her face.

"Baby Tooth," she cooed, cupping her hands around her tooth sprite. It sniffed and snuggled against her cheek, and Tooth couldn't suppress the smile that crept on her lips. But something was wrong...

"Why are we here?" Tooth asked, looking around in a daze. The yeti turned away, tears filling its dark eyes. Panic clenched her chest and she got to her feet. "Why?" she asked again. "Why?"

The yeti didn't respond, but she _knew. _If the yetis were here, far away from the North Pole, then that meant...

She buried her head in her hands and cried.

North must have lost.

Then she remembered; _Jack. _Her head snapped up. _And Bunnymund! _Her head on a swivel, she looked this way and that, trying to spot the familiar blue hoodie or the adorable lump of gray fur. But all she saw was green...

There.

Bunnymund was sitting down, looking dejectedly at the ground. Tooth immediately darted over to the pooka and wrapped her feathered arms around him. To her surprise, Bunnymund didn't push her away, and curled against her.

"Where's North," she asked, terrified of the answer. She knew, she knew deep down in her core, but it wasn't possible, it couldn't be...

Bunnymund nodded his head - it was true.

A choked sob somehow escaped her throat and she hugged Bunnymund all the tighter, smooshing him against her. They were the last ones... Sandy was gone, North was gone, Jack was hurt and turning human...

Tooth's eyes widened. _Jack. _"Bunnymund, where's Jack?" she asked. Panic clutched her chest; he was defenseless, unable to fight; if Pitch attacked him, he wouldn't make it. "Is he...?"

"Over there." Bunnymund glanced to the top of one of the graceful arches that abruptly stopped over thin air. Tooth couldn't suppress the sigh of relief; so he was all right. He was okay. If Jack got his powers back, maybe they could still have a fighting chance...

Suddenly she noticed one of the yetis walking up to the boy. It was carrying some sort of box - like a Christmas present - and lugged it up to where Jack was sitting. It gently nudged Jack's shoulder; he jumped slightly, as if startled, before turning around.

Even at Tooth's distance she could see that one of his eyes was totally brown now; the other had more brown creeping into the icy blue. His cheeks were swollen and red, like someone had slapped him hard, and she could see a massive bruise on his neck, though most of it was hidden by the hoodie.

Tooth almost turned away, but didn't. She couldn't. His wounds were _her _fault... if she had been more careful, has just done her job, Jack would have been okay. And North wouldn't have...

_Don't think about it!_

The yeti handed Jack the present, and he took it without a word. He said something - Tooth didn't know what - and opened the lid.

Inside were shoes, the same blue shoes from when they had all first met in front of the globe. That seemed like a life-time ago now...

Jack looked horrified, then violently shook his head and tried to hand the shoes back to the yeti. But the yeti growled - that Tooth could hear - and pointed to Jack's feet. Tooth gasped; she hadn't noticed before, but they were bruised and covered in small scraped and cuts. Jack scowled, then said something to the yeti. The yeti gargled something back; whatever it was, it stunned the boy and he turned away, shamefaced, and slipped on the shoes.

The first thing that Tooth thought was that Jack looked strange wearing anything on his feet, and he should take the shoes off and continue to go barefoot. And then she realized that Jack had to wear the shoes, because he could get hurt now and wouldn't heal as fast anymore. She gingerly touched the side of her head; already the lump was disappearing and the hurt lessened. Tooth gently unwrapped Bunnymund's bandages - he didn't protest - and revealed unblemished skin underneath.

Guardian's heal quickly... she had never noticed before. Maybe it was because that was simply normal to her, and the humans had always healed slowly, but now with Jack here, it all seemed wrong. In fact, Tooth felt a little guilty about her quick-healing abilities... it didn't seem fair.

* * *

Jack scowled at the shoes; they felt strange around his feet, almost confining, but he couldn't deny that they were soft and - more importantly - warm. He wiggled his toes inside, watching as the ends of the shoes bulged outward slightly. They were a perfect fit.

_Well, of course they are, _Jack thought to himself. _North made them. _He smiled, then caught himself. What gave him the right to smile anymore?

Jack turned his gaze to the horizon line; the sun was just beginning to rise in the distance, painting the sky orange and red and yellow. "Hey," he whispered to the yeti, not turning around, "am I really turning human."

The yeti grumbled something. Jack didn't know what he said, but it didn't matter; after all, he already knew the answer. If he was still a Guardian, he wouldn't have gotten caught. He could make a snowstorm right now. He could turn to ice. Heck, if he was still Jack Frost, he wouldn't be wearing _shoes._

Suddenly a warm, fuzzy hand lightly pressed down on his shoulder. Jack glanced up in surprise as the yeti turned away and lumbered back down the hill. Jack watched the yeti go and turned around, sighing, watching the sun peak over the distant hills.

Something soft suddenly tucked in next to his cheek. Jack's lips twitched into a small smile and he gently pet Baby Tooth on her small green head. Tooth was suddenly beside him, wrapping her green arms around him with tear-filled eyes. No words needed to be said; they all simply knew. She settled down next to Jack, giving her wings a break, and they all watched the sunrise... Together.

* * *

_Ahhh. I feel so much better now. :) Yes, this chapter is a bit shorter (okay, a lot shorter) than normal, but that just seemed like the perfect time to end the chapter. Plus, I think we all needed a sweet moment after the last chapter... I know I did! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) And thanks for all of the sweet reviews; today was just a drag, and you all made me feel a million times better. 3_

_ Until next time, _

_ Rand0mSmil3z_


	8. Chapter 8

_Omigosh... school. Took the second half of the AP Psych test today, the free response/essay part. I died. 'Nuff said. And my cold has only gotten worse... orange juice and tea have become my new best friends haha. _

_ ANYWAY, WE BEAT 10,000 VIEWS EVERYONE! That's totally incredible! Omigosh! How exciting! I'm beyond thrilled! :D :D :D And it's all thanks to you guys! Thank you all for the support, and the awesome reviews, and all of the favs/follows! I'll definitely try to make you proud as this story continues! _

_ arrowtosparrow: I promised to tell you if there was a spoiler, right? So now I'm going to keep my promise! In this chapter, there's a flashback; it wasn't part of the movie or anything, but it IS a part of Jack's past. Just a head's up :) _

_ Ravenclaw Slytherin: Omigosh. I feel for you - get better soon!_

_ Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet: I actually had no idea! Thanks for letting me know; I'll make that work in my story :) As for the human-belief thing, Jack is STILL immortal (since he has some blue in his one eye now) so his belief in the Guardians doesn't count quite yet. _

_ Cheater157: Nooo don't hate me! I'm sorry! But tell your niece that all fairy tales have happy endings, and this one will too. :) I pinky-promise._

_ Comix28: Omigosh! Thank you so much :D I only saw the movie once (trying to go see it again on Saturday with friends) so it's really nice to hear that I nailed the character's personalities. :) And even better, thanks for letting me know that the story is plausible. That's exactly what I was going for! :D_

_ vanitasvanitatum: Yay! I'm glad you like this! And for the record, I'm not THAT OLD. I'm in high school actually, except I'm one of the dorks that loves to write :D_

_ Harry Potter and Ezio for Life: -hands you tissues and candy- :D you're so sweet. I hope you enjoy the story as it progresses!_

_ Sylvyn: Good luck with the school projects and PLEASE don't get sick! Trust me, it's no fun. -hands you candy-_

_ Angie In RandomLand: hahahahahahaha :{ D - your mustaches are awesome_

_ BlackWitchesCat: o_O I'm fixing that right now. Thank you xD_

_ There are so many reviews now I can no longer keep up, though I'm trying my best to. To those I missed, thank you for writing your review! I read them all and I love them all. Heck, I love YOU all! Thank you so much for the support, and the reviews, and everything else! :D :D :D :D_

_ Anyway, here is Chapter 8 of Humanity! Enjoy!_

* * *

Jack was running.

He wasn't sure where are why; in fact, he didn't even know where he was. Darkness surrounded him, curled around his feet and brushed against his face. All he knew was he had to run, had to run to that _something _in the distance.

_Dad. _

Jack gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move faster. The small flare of light shone in the distance, bobbing on an invisible wind, the only other thing in the endless, starless midnight.

_Dad. _

The small orb of light suddenly began to bob further away, almost as if it were attached to a string. "Wait!" Jack shouted. He had to catch it, _had _to...

* * *

The sun was high in the sky, warming the land with its warm shine. The small blades of grass that dotted the graceful curls of land and hills waved slightly on the cool breeze. In the distance, a portion of one of the stone spires chipped away, cracked, and fell.

Tooth took a deep breath. The more her palace deteriorated, the stronger Pitch got. She could see his work already; the sky seemed darker, the shadows stretching across the land more ominous.

Nearby, Jack was fast asleep. Tooth couldn't help but smile at him; he was curled on the grass with his broken staff, hood over his head like a cowl. He mumbled something, Tooth wasn't quite sure what, and scowled. She gently brushed away some of the brown hair from his face, noting that his cheeks were slightly more flushed and his skin warmer. It was slightly cooler than a normal human's skin but, for Jack, it was a raging fever.

Well, if he was Jack Frost, that is.

_But at least there's hope, _Tooth thought, smiling thinly. She had to believe; she had to believe in Sandy, and North, and Bunnymund, and - more importantly - Jack. After all, if she didn't believe in him, who would?

Suddenly one of the yetis walked up to her and sat down. "Awgabla," it said, pointing to Jack. More specifically, it was pointing to Jacks bruises and cut cheeks, to Jack's purplish and swollen neck. "Awgabla," it said again.

Tooth figured that it wanted to treat him, and quietly said, "Okay." With that she scooted away from him, and the yeti whipped out a first-aid kit. She wasn't sure where the yeti found it, and she wasn't sure she really cared. Maybe it grabbed it before they all jumped through the portal at North's place.

Bunnymund plopped next to her on the ground, looking sad and pitiful. Tooth idly stroked his head - much to the pooka's mortification - as she gently shook Jack away. "Jack," she whispered.

But Jack didn't wake up; instead, he mumbled, "Dad."

* * *

_ Dad._

Jack stretched his arm further; he was so close, so painfully close. He could feel the warmth of the light brushing against his fingertips, could feel the thick darkness around him edge away. He was going to get it this time, _had _to-

His fingers brushed against the light and, with a flash, the scene changed.

He wasn't sure where he was, but he knew he was in some sort of house. It was small and quaint, with a fire crackling in a small, stone fireplace and a round table close by him. His feet - bare - lightly padded across the wooden floorboards. He felt small, and took a deep breath; he smelled pine.

And for some reason, he felt incredibly safe.

"Dad."

The word burst forth from his mouth without his permission, and suddenly his legs were rushing towards a mammoth-sized man. But Jack wasn't scared; he only felt safe and protected. "Dad," he said again, and his body jumped into his father's arms.

'Dad' picked him up with a laugh, and Jack wrapped his small arms around his father's neck. He was warm.

"Are you ready to see your sister?" Dad asked, smiling at Jack through his brown beard. His eyes were brown too, Jack noticed.

Once again, the words came unbidden to his lips. "Yeah," he nearly shouted in excitement. And strangely enough, Jack _was _excited. He was beyond thrilled, but he wasn't sure why.

'Dad' laughed, a hearty, kind laugh, and opened the door.

* * *

Tooth jumped back when Jack's eyes snapped open. His eyes were wide, his cheeks even more flushed as he looked around with a confused look on his face. Then it all clicked, and their excitement faded slightly.

"Hey Tooth," he said with a tired smile. Baby Tooth jumped off of Tooth's shoulder to him, happily chirping all the while. Jack laughed and rubbed the top of her head, receiving a content sigh in return. "Is... is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Tooth said quickly, jerking her gaze away from Jack's eyes. One was completely brown now, a rich hazel color, and the other with still blue. However, brown had seemed into the sapphire like a disease, festering there like some sort of wound. "Everything's fine," she repeated sadly, then said, "We're going to treat your wounds now."

Jack visibly stiffened. "I'm fine," he said quickly. Suddenly Bunnymund - with a roll of his eyes - launched his tiny fluffy body right at Jack's head, pushing the surprised boy down.

"Patients should just sit quietly," Bunnymund scowled. He felt so weak, so incredibly weak - if he wasn't hit by Jack's arrow, if he was just _careful, _none of this would have happened. Jack blinked his multicolored eyes at him, then scowled.

"I'm fi-" Suddenly he winced and burst out coughing.

Bunnymund rolled his eyes again - he was in a foul mood - and said, "Classic. When you're done coughing up a hairball, mate, you should..."

"I'm not _coughing up a hairball," _Jack retorted, cutting Bunnymund off. "I was _choked."_

"Yes, well," Tooth said, laughing nervously, "that's why I'm here..." Yeti harrumphed an agreement, and with one last glare Bunnymund hopped off of Jack and kept on going until he was a good distance away.

"What's his problem," Jack scowled, rubbing his mouth. His cuts stung.

Tooth sighed and picked out a band-aid from the first aid kit. "He's hurt," she whispered, peeling off the paper. "We all are." She gently pressed it against Jack's cuts, who winced. "So," she added with a smile, "be easy on him."

Jack scowled and picked up another band-aid. "Fine," was his curt reply. Tooth sighed - it was tough being a peacekeeper - and handed Jack a role of bandages.

He arched an eyebrow, to which Tooth quickly said, "For your staff." Understanding dawned in Jack's eyes and he took the bandages without complaint.

Tooth watched him wrap the two broken halves off the staff together. "So what were you dreaming about?" she asked after a while. "You said 'Dad'."

Jack's eyes widened, then sighed. "I don't know," he admitted, turning to her. His eyes were filled with uncertainty, an emotion she didn't often see in Jack. "I-I was in a house, and there was a man there... I called him 'dad'," he recalled with a smile. "He was going to show me my sister."

Tooth's eyes widened. _Memories? _

And, like a flash, it all clicked together.

She reached forward in a blur and grabbed Jack's shoulders, startling both him and Baby Tooth. How could she not have realized this earlier? "Your memories," she breathed out. "M-Maybe your memories have the answer!"

Jack scowled. "Answer to what?"

"To get your powers back!" The words came out in a rush, and Jack's eyes widened even further. Even Bunnymund, sulking somewhere, came bounding back at the thought of an adventure. After all, he needed a chance to redeem himself.

Jack got to his feet, nearly tripping over his new shoes. But he barely even noticed. "How?" he asked. Hope burned in his eyes. "Where?"

"I hid them where Pitch wouldn't dare go to find them," Tooth said, very proud of herself.

"Where?" Jack was nearly bubbling with excitement, the same excitement he had so long ago. It was contagious; even Tooth could feel herself feeling giddy, and Bunnymund's cotton-ball tail seemed to twitch from side to side.

"I hid the teeth with a boy," she stated. "He doesn't believe in Pitch, which means that he holds no fear. And why would Pitch be with someone that doesn't fear him?" she exclaimed proudly. "After all, he has so many better places to be."

Jack smiled; he didn't really understand, but if Tooth said it then it must be true. After all, she knew more about this stuff than he did. "B-But will it be okay? To see my memories?" he asked, guilt creeping into his stomach. "I mean, I messed up so many times..."

"Yeah, you've messed up mate," Bunnymund chimed in, "but this is your chance."

"It might get you back to normal," Tooth said helpfully. "If it's you, you can do it."

Jack turned to Baby Tooth; even the little sprite nodded at him encouragingly. He thinly smiled, closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, no more doubt or guilt crept in their multicolored depths. No; all Jack felt was determination.

He smirked. "Let's do this."

* * *

_Phew! All done! Now, time to chug some orange juice *sigh*. _

_ Anyway, yay! :D Jack is regaining his self-confidence! (but poor Bunnymund - I hope he feelt back to his hard-core self soon!) :D This chapter was really fun to write, especially the memory-flashback part. I was like, hmm... what would a kid-Jack be like? And the answer came instantly: ADORIBLE. Duh! Hopefully the adorableness came off well. :D :D_

_ But other than that, ahhh! Still freaking out about the view thing. OVER TEN-flippin'-THOUSAND! Omigosh. Made my entire day. Thank you everyone! :D :D Best audience/fan group/ people-in-general EVER!_

_ And on that note,_

_ Until next time,_

_ Rand0mSmil3z_

_PS- one day I'm going to go back and edit these chapters, I promise hahahaha_


	9. Chapter 9

_Omigosh this cold is killing me. I sound like a man, with a really deep stuffy voice. NO. I sound like a YETI. AGUOAJKFHKJMHQ! :D :D :D_

_ Sorry. I needed to gripe about that for a bit. Anyway, to celebrate breaking 10000 views (plus a couple thousand more now :D :D :D ) I'm updating twice today! Why?! I just told you! But mostly because I have some free time and I've been looking forward to this chapter. Why?! Well, you're just going to have to read and find out!_

_ By the way, I'm going to remind everyone one more time. This story WILL have a happy ending. :) So hold out 'till the end, okay? I promise I won't let any of you down! 3 You're all too amazing for that!_

_ Anne Camp aka Obie-quiet: Actually, I don't know HOW Jack got his powers back. I said this in the first chapter, but it's been a while so I'll say it again, I had to escort my little cousin to the bathroom and missed the whole scene. So, I'm basically winging this whole thing xD Hopefully it sounds plausible. _

_ 9E-tan: I've actually never read the books! (much to my regret D: I'm trying to nab them off of my friend's little sister, though. *evil laugh*) So, as for Pitch, all I know about his personality is based off of the movie. That, and in my story, I turned him super-evil. Like, super-super-super evil. Basically, I'll delve into his evilness and see where that takes us. :D_

_ Jzaaa: hahahahaha Dude. I'm not quite sure what I just read, but whatever that was, it made me laugh hysterically. And thank you for the paragraph of compliments! *glomp* :D :D Totally made my sickie-day so much better!_

_ DeafLizgon: I'm glad you liked the flashback! I wasn't sure what to do at first, then it all clicked._

_ Angie In RandomLand: I hope your laptop gets fixed soon!_

_ thegreatwhitewolf: Thank you! :D I hope you feel much better tommorow because, trust me, I totally understand the brain-dead thing. The zombie-disease is hitting us all hard. D:_

_ Soul-Whisperer: Awwwww thank you! 3_

_ LightningPool: Good luck o_o sounds like you're gonna have a great time hahaha :P_

_ Omigosh the REVIEWS! I love them all! 3 Love them more that Toothiana loves teeth! (well, more-or-less hahaha) Thank you so much everyone! They all make my day amazing! (Not to mention I finished my homework! Thank goodness!) But dudes and dudettes. 10000 views? Holy poopasaurus. I'm still flipping out._

_ And on that note, let the celebration continue! Here's chapter 9!_

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon, a golden orb with a scarlet background. Jack's fist tightened around his staff; it creaked underneath the gauze in his grasp, as if the aging wood was just about ready to give in to time.

"So where are we going?" Jack asked Tooth. She was cradling a snow globe in her arms, almost as if she was afraid to drop it and open a portal to nowhere.

Bunnymund, just a little fluff-ball on the ground, shot Jack a glare that could paralyze a bloodhound. "Be patient, mate," he nearly growled. Jack glared right on back; it was clear that the bunny was still in a bad mood, but to his credit he didn't say anything back.

Tooth noticed, and her lips twitched into a smile. "You'll see," she replied, then closed her eyes and tossed the snow globe. Baby Tooth chirped on Jack's shoulder as it shattered into a thousand glistening fragments. Each fragment seemed to capture the sun's rays, throwing them playfully in all directions. Inside the portal were hues of white and brown; here and there was a patch of green.

"Oh, good," Tooth sighed, looking pleased with herself. "I've never used one of those before, and I wasn't sure if it would come out okay."

Jack personally didn't understand how she could tell, but didn't bother asking about it. They had more important things to do. The yetis all waved goodbye; they were all headed back to North's palace, to make sure it was tidy when the big man came back.

Because, if Jack had anything to say about it, North _was _going to come back. And so would Sandy too, while he was at it.

"Ready?" Jack said, determined.

Tooth nodded, and Bunnymund growled a, "Ready." He was itching for revenge at Pitch; first for turning him into some sort of cute rabbit, and second of all for hurting the people he cared about the most. Not that he would admit that any time soon, grant you, but Pitch was going to pay.

Jack took a deep breath and was the first to step into the whirling blurs of the portal.

* * *

The setting sun cast red and gold through the window, brightening up the small room. A desk, littered with forgotten homework, hugged the wall while posters of super-hero's decorated the room like wallpaper. At the foot of the blue bed was a chest. Jamie collected all of his favorite things there, and against the wall rested a battered sled. He loved that sled; sometimes, it seemed to have a mind of its own. Just yesterday it sped through the streets like a possessed thing, but he secretly thought it was cool. Because, after all, he was never hurt once. _Except when I lost my tooth, _Jamie thought, mouth twitching into a smile, _but that was just really cool. _

Then his smile faded. Jamie sighed dejectedly, holding his empty Easter basket. It's been two days since Easter, and even though his friends had all given up hope, he still clung to his. After all, what if the Easter bunny was just extra busy this year making Easter eggs and stuff, and Easter was just late? Or maybe a storm came up and delayed him?

But as the third day rolled along, the uneasy feeling in his stomach multiplied.

_You know, _he thought to himself, _what if the Easter Bunny isn't... real? _The thought was so foreign his mind automatically tried to reject it, but his rational thinking hung on tight. After all, wouldn't the Easter Bunny be here by now? He would, right?

_Maybe he's just late..._

Jamie sighed and gently set the Easter basket, empty and hollow, on his small nightstand. _But probably not. _All of his friends were saying how stupid he was for believing in the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause and the Sandman, and he couldn't help but wonder... what if they were right? What if everything he thought was real... wasn't?

Jamie fell backward on his bed and rested his arm over his eyes, feeling like crying.

Suddenly there was a pop. He jackknifed to the sitting position as, without warning, some brown-haired teenager tumbled out of the wall. He was holding some sort of stick too, like those shepherds he saw in one of his storybooks. _But it's broken, _he idly noticed. _It's held together with white stuff. _

"Ouch," the teen scowled, rubbing his head. He then glanced about the room, eyes passing right over Jamie, until they locked on with _something. _"Tooth," he said, "where are we?" A pause, then, "Oh." Suddenly the teen looked annoyed, and he turned to something on the ground scowling. "Well, no thanks to you Kangaroo." Suddenly he smirked. "Or should I call you Rat-Rabbit now?"

Jamie was stunned, so stunned that his brain barely even comprehended what he was saying. _Some kid just flew out of the wall, _he reasoned brilliantly, and could only stare as the brown-haired stranger walked over to his chest of treasures. Then he realized; one of the boys eyes was brown, the other was blue. _That's weird._

"Oh. It's here?" The boy opened up his box of treasures, snapping Jamie back to reality.

_"Stop!" _he shrieked, grabbing his nearby Nerf gun. "Or-Or I'll shoot!"

It was an understatement to say that the teen was stunned. His eyes were so wide his eyeballs looked like they were going to roll right out of his head. "Y-You can see me?" the teen asked. His voice sounded small.

"Well, yeah," Jamie frowned. _What kind of question is that?! _"Of course I can see you?"

Suddenly the teen's face broke out into a grin, and he turned to one of his imaginary friends. "Did you _hear _that? He sees me!" Suddenly he turned back to Jamie, grinning like a dork. "Like, you can see me right now, right? Like, honestly?"

"Y-yeah," Jamie muttered, then lowered the Nerf gun. Barely. "Anyway," he said, curiosity getting the better of him, "how did you fly through the wall."

The teen smiled. "Magic," he said, twirling his fingers.

_Magic! _"So... so are you magical or something?!"

At that, the stranger frowned. "I'm, uh, working on that."

Jamie dropped the gun, and it bounced on the bed. _Magic! _This was just too cool. It _had _to be magic, right? People just don't fall through walls and stuff, unless... "Am I going crazy?" Jamie asked.

At that, the stranger laughed. "No, you're not," he said, then smiled. "I'm 100% real, trust me."

Jamie huffed. It seemed like a totally legitimate question to him. "Then, if you're real," Jamie asked with a crafty smile, "then who are you talking to?"

The teen's eyes widened, as if surprised, then smiled and said, "I'm talking to Tooth - er, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny is here too. And I'm Jack. Jack Frost, by the way," he added quickly.

"R-Really!" Jamie exclaimed. "So, like, wh-"

"Jamie!" A woman's voice rang from downstairs. "Who are you talking too?"

"No one, mom!" Jamie replied, then said in a much quieter voice, "So then, where are they?"

Jack smiled, but this one seemed a little sadder. "Do you trust me?"

"Yeah," Jamie said. After all, magical people were never bad.

"Good," Jack said. "Then close your eyes." Jamie snapped them shut. "And when I count to three, you're going to open your eyes, okay? And the Tooth Fairy will be here, and the Easter Bunny too." Jamie nodded excitedly.

"3."

Jamie took a deep breath, still keeping his eyes shut.

"2."

He squirmed on the bed, grinning.

"1."

He took another deep breath...

"Okay." Jack's voice was soft. "Open your eyes."

Jamie snapped his eyes open and gasped. There was the Tooth Fairy, all feathered, with greens and blues and purples. Jamie blushed; she was really pretty. "Um, hi," he stammered out.

Tooth's face broke out in a smile and she clapped her hands. "Hello!" she said excitedly.

Suddenly something fuzzy and gray jumped onto Jamie's bed. "'Ello, mate," Bunnymund said, wiggling his nose.

"Um," Jamie said, stunned. "Hi."

The Easter Bunny sighed. "I know. I'm small. I'm cute. I'm fuzzy. But _no, _you can't pet me," he added with a growl.

"Actually," Jamie said, "you look kinda cool. With your tattoos and all."

Bunnymund smiled, looking pleased. "Yeah. That's right," he said.

Anyway," Jamie said, turning back to Jack. "Um, you were looking for something, right?"

Jack's eyes widened. "Oh yeah," he mumbled, then turned back to the treasure chest. Jamie wasn't sure if he liked a stranger going through his most personal, favoritest stuff, but if the magical people needed it then, by golly, they could have it. Suddenly Jack pulled out some sort of long golden cylinder, complete with pretty jewels and such.

He didn't remember putting that in there.

"Found it," Jack smiled, glancing at the box. _So that's his favorite thing, _Jamie thought to himself. It was obviously pretty important to Jack; he could tell. Everyone got that look in their eyes when they were holding something important, like an inner glow or something, and Jack had that look right now. "So..." he said, turning to Tooth. "Do I just open it?"

Tooth nodded. "Yeah," she said.

"And what can I do to help?" Jamie asked quickly, inching forward on the bed. This was super exciting, and he didn't want to be left out.

The Bunny scowled and open his mouth, but Jack interrupted. "Do you really want to help?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah!" Jamie exclaimed, nodding his head enthusiastically. Jack's smile widened and he leaned in close, whispering in Jamie's ear only one word.

_"Believe."_

* * *

_ Ta-da! Two updates in one day! Most of you probably think I have no life, now that I think about it hahaha. You have my cold to thank for that. :D_

_ Anyway, for my purposes, the snow globes are still going to keep on working. Not sure if that's correct based off of the movies/books or not, but please humor me and go along with it. I need those suckers desperately! And besides that, there was a ton of dialogue in this. At least, it felt like a ton of dialogue to me. It was necessary. Painful to write, but necessary. Hopefully I nailed that beast. xD _

_ Anyway everyone, thank you for the INCREDIBLY support! You have no idea how much it all means to me, and I'm going to keep on saying it until you do! :D :D :D It means a TON! Thank you for making this story so much fun to write! _

_ Adue, _

_ Rand0mSmil3z_


	10. Chapter 10

_As far as school goes, it's pretty boring. Awful, really. But today was different; in Writer's Workshop, all we did was play BS (it's a card game) with all sorts of people, me included. So much fun! And then I helped set up Christmas lights and decorations in my freshman-year English teachers classroom. Trust me, classroom-parkour is as amazing as it sounds. Though, my cold has gotten worse... every morning it feels like I swallowed a bunch of burning-hot coals. _ It's terrible, but it goes away as the day progresses, so I'm thankful for that :) And everyone who wished me luck with my AP Psychology test, good news! I nailed that sucker with a 95%! *enter evil laugh here* :D_

_ Harry Potter and Ezio for Life: Awwww thank you! Don't worry, we can buy lives together! I'm sure they have some of those things for sail on Craig's List! :D _

_ vanitasvanitatum: No one is EVER too old for animated movies! And, just between you and me, no one ever grows up. :) We just learn how to act in public! Stay awesome, and thank you for the amazingly sweet review! :D :D :D_

_ Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet: NOOOOO DON'T TELL ME! NOOOOOOO! xD jk! I'm going to see the movie tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get a better grasp at the characters and the plot._

_ Sodapop'sAce14: It was Jamie! :D You're a genius! (and you're not weird, you're awesome! Or, if you know the website, incredibly average ;) google mlia if you don't know what I'm talking about, but it's a compliment. trust me haha)_

_ Anylinde: Awwww that made me smile! And thank you! Good luck with those AP classes, but don't even worry :) As long as you stay on top of things you'll be just fine! (and your metaphor made me laugh. Why? Because it was hysterical and, better yet, true!)_

_ fanmanbookman: Thanks! And don't worry, everything will be okay. Emphasis on EVERYTHING. :D :D :D _

_ And to everyone else, thank you for your reviews, favorites, follows, etc. 3 You may be sick and tired of me repeating this, but it's all thanks to you guys that Humanity is continuing. You have no idea how excited I am when I open up my inbox and get to read all of the reviews. Honestly, it's like opening Christmas presents! :D_

_ Anyway. Here is chapter ten. Enjoy!_

* * *

The panicked wails of the tooth sprites were music to Pitch Black's ears. How he loved to see them flutter helplessly in their cages, to listen to their cries for help, to watch as the days pass with them getting weaker and weaker every day. Only a handful still hovered near the tops of the cages; even less still chirped defiantly. But Pitch didn't care; those tooth sprites were _his. _

And how Jack loved his toys. _Speaking of toys..._

Pitch scowled. North, the Spirit of Wonder, had no fear of him, not even to his bitter end. That fact was mildly annoying. He had broken the man, broken the man to his core, yet he still showed no fear. Only the bitter taste of relief washed over Pitch, practically drowning him in its vile stench, when North had fallen. That taste was worsened by the fact that North was relieved because the _others _survived - Toothiana, Bunnymund, and, to his utter frustration, Jack Frost.

_But was that really such a bad thing? _Pitch wondered, recalling with a grin the raw hate in the boy's sapphire eyes. But they weren't sapphire anymore, were they? One of his eyes had turned brown, almost as if Pitch had dipped the boys face into the mud. The murk also infected Jack's other eyes, like a disease, like...

_Like mortality, _Pitch thought with a start. _But... why?_

One of the tooth sprites shrieked in disgust at its captivity, and Pitch idly made an arrow of black sand and launched it over his shoulder. The shriek faded in the air like the sound of a dying bell.

And Pitch thought again: _Why? _

And then it all made sense. The closer Pitch pushed Jack to death's loving door, the more human Jack become and the closer to death he fell. And Jack was over three-hundred years old too...

Pitch smiled. _What an interesting science experiment, _he thought, passing through one of the walls like a shadow. His layer was a maze of stairways that went to nowhere, hallways that stopped dead. The air was musky, yet the stones remained drier than bones.

_But, _Pitch scowled, _I still want Jack Frost on my side. Human or not, he would be a good ally... _A feral smile curled on his lips. _After all, what goes better together than cold and fear? _But the other Guardian's were in the way first, and it was a pain to destroy them one by one. In fact, Pitch was still feeling the effects of North's sword; for some reason, Pitch didn't fully heal from the attack. But it was minor, and he thought nothing more of it.

Suddenly something warmed the air, filling Pitch with the warm fuzzies he positively hated. He grimaced at the foreign emotion, thought the teeth sprites recognized it and chirped happily, excitedly.

And then it hit him; this emotion was _hope. _

Pitch's mood darkened. How he hated hope, that vile emotion. It was stronger than the rest, rivaled only by fear.

_After all, _Pitch grinned, _fear destroys everything. _

Without another thought he summoned the black sand around him until it enveloped him like a cocoon. He sunk into the floor a shadow, becoming one with the lifeless stone.

Pitch Black, the Spirit of Fear, was going to investigate this hope.

* * *

"Well, open it!" Tooth's excited voice rang through the small room as she hovered over Jack's shoulder. She seemed more upbeat than usual, but it was good to see her flying again. But Jack only swallowed and stared at the golden surface of the memory-box, a thousand emotions whirling in his stomach and set at boiling.

_What if I'm not ready?_

Bunnymund hopped on the bed, his face impassive but cotton-ball tail wiggling impatiently. "Jus' open it already," he grumbled. He was still in a bad mood, but to Jack, it seemed more like an act now.

Jack's grip tightened on the lip. Baby Tooth hovered by his ear beyond thrilled, and Jamie was sitting indian-style on the bed, looking beyond excited. Jack tooth a deep breath-

-and a chill seeped into the air, stopping him short. He froze, head jerking towards the window. The room seemed darker somehow, though the sun was still a sliver of red on the setting horizon line. Yellows and scarlet stained the clouds and also stained the snow a brilliant firework show. Any other time and Jack would have smiled at the beauty of it all. He loved the snow.

But now the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Bunnymund noticed it too and sniffed the air. Suddenly his dark eyes widened and he jumped into Jack's arms.

"We have to get out of here, mate," the Pooka said quickly, head jerking in all directions.

"Why?" Jamie asked, eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"Pitch Black," Bunnymund answered with a growl. "That's what's wrong."

Tooth gasped, and Jack was stunned. _Why now? _he wondered, then turned his attention to Jamie. The kid's brown eyes were wide with uncertainty and fear, the same look that Jack recognized. After all, those were the same eyes he had just a few short days ago.

"Jamie," Jack said, kneeling down to the boys level. "Do you trust me?"

Jamie nodded without hesitation. After all, magical people were _never _bad.

"Good," Jack said, then added with a smile, "because nothing bad is going to happen, okay? There's nothing to be afraid of."

Jamie's eyes widened briefly, the determination replaced the weaker emotions. "I know," he said.

Tooth glanced at Jack, mouthing, _Thank you_. After all, this boy was the last light on earth; Pitch Black would no doubtedly come, and Jamie had to be protected at all costs. Though, Jack was going to make sure that Jamie never knew that fact.

"We're going to play a game," Jack said, turning to Jamie with a crooked grin. Jamie's eyes lit up.

"What kind of game?" he asked excitedly.

Jack could feel Bunnymund's impatience in his arms. "First we're going to..." He glanced out the window to the roof, which was layered with thick snow, then to the sled that leaned against the wall. A mischievous gleam shone in Jack's eyes. "We're gonna sled off the roof," he grinned, already prying the sled off of the wall.

Jamie's mouth dropped. "No way," he murmured, then said in a louder voice, "That's totally awesome!"

Jack laughed. "I know, right?" He gently opened the window and placed the sled on the rooftop; it was slicker than what he had in mind, but it would work. "Okay," he said. Jamie ran to Jack and climbed out of the window, grinning manically.

Jack turned to Tooth expectantly, but all she said was, "I think I'll fly..."

"And I'm with the Fairy," Bunnymund said in a rush, then jumped in her waiting arms.

Jack smirked. "Your loss," he said, then clambered onto the sled. "Ready, Jamie?" he asked.

"Yeah!" Jamie whooped, and with a push they were skidding down the roof, laughing wildly. They launched off, catching air, before landing in a soft snow drift.

Jack was the first to pop out of the snow. He wasn't used to the wet cold of it all, but that didn't damped his mood. "Was that awesome?" he asked Jamie, grinning like a dork.

Jamie's face was one of shock and total joy. "Dude," he said, voice soft with awe. "That was way more fun than walking out the front door."

Jack grinned and ruffled the boys brown hair, immediately deciding that it was way more fun to be able to be seen. Maybe all of this loner stuff that he's been used to... maybe he's been going at it for too long. "Glad you liked it," he grinned, then turned to Tooth and Bunnymund. Tooth lightly plopped Bunnymund on the ground, where he shook himself out and bound to Jack.

"We have to go now, mate," he said in a low voice. Jack turned to Tooth; she looked worried, violet eyes darting this way and that. She was also uncharacteristically quiet, which also worried Jack, but he wasn't sure what to say.

So instead he settled for, "Right," and turned back to Jamie.

"Now what game are we going to play?" the kid breathed, looking beyond thrilled.

Jack grinned. "We're going to play..."

Suddenly the ground bubbled up from the ground in front of them, like the ground itself was boiling. Jamie's eyes widened and he ran for Jack, hiding behind him as if he was the older brother. Not that Jack was complaining any.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Jack whispered to Jamie. He had a grin on his face, dry and fake, but Jamie only nodded with a determined expression. Tooth flew up behind Jamie, hovering there like a guardian angel.

The black sand boiled and burst, and finally a massive bubble seeped from the ground. It grew until it was taller than Jack, then it burst with a wet sound. Pitch Black, gray and tall, casually stepped out of his black sand as if he was walking the red carpet. His yellow eyes, gleaming like a cats, lazily moved until they snapped onto Jack. Pitch's face morphed into a sick grin.

"Jack," Pitch said, voice sickly sweet with sarcasm. "You've never looked better."

Fury tore through Jack; here was the man that destroyed Sandy and North, and he couldn't do a thing about it. Not with Jamie behind him. So instead he answered the best way he could; with sarcasm, and he wielded the weapon like a two-edged blade. "Well, on the contrary," Jack replied, "you look absolutely terrible."

Jamie chuckled, to his horror, and Bunnymund muttered, "_Now you've done it."_

Rage contorted Pitch's features, then - as quickly as they came - they vanished in those yellow eyes. Without warning more bubbles of sand boiled out of the earth, but when they burst out came magnificent black stallions. With red eyes and a midnight mane, they whinnied and gnashed their teeth. Jamie clutched at Jack's hoodie tighter, small fists winding in the cold material.

Suddenly Pitch's body began to turn to sand, starting at the feet, and slowly blew away in the wind. "Now what will you do, Guardians?" Pitch Black asked with a smirk. Soon his face blew away entirely, leaving no evidence he was even there save his dark Fearlings. They pranced and pawed at the ground, dying the snow a sickly dark color.

In the distance, the sun flared before setting below the sunset.

Jack swallowed, then gripped his staff tighter. He knew what he was going to do, and he knew what the other Guardians were going to do as well. The horse in front of him nickered, then charged. Jack swung his staff like a club, cutting through it, while Tooth cut through it with his razor-sharp wings. Black sand spilled into the air, and Jamie whooped, throwing his fists into the air. Jack grinning, prepared for the next one.

They were all going to fight.

* * *

_FIGHT SCENES. D: Ack I'm not good at fight scenes, but - seeing how this whole fight is the start of the climax - I'll work twice as hard! And yes, it pains me to say this, but every story must come to an end. This story will too, eventually._

_ That said, Humanity ain't over yet! :D So, in the couple chapters coming up, be prepared for a wild ride. All of your questions about North, Sandy, and the memories will be answered. But, more importantly, so will Jack's humanity-crisis. It's coming up soon, so hang on tight everyone!_

_ Love you all!_

_ Rand0mSmil3z_

_PS- Phew! Ten chapters in four days! Is that some sort of record or something?! *victory dance* :D :D :D Anyway, to the people who are pressing me for more updates, please remember that I'm not a machine. I'm working as fast as I can, with a SICKNESS no less! Typing up three chapters (on word, each one is roughly 6 pages long) is tough. :( I admit it. I don't have a problem with people asking for updates (because, honestly, I love knowing that people want to read more!) but DEMANDING updates is a totally different story. If you're going to DEMAND an update, death threats and all, at least throw a 'PLEASE' somewhere in there, okay. Pretty please? :)_

_And that's basically my only gripe. :D :D :D Seeing as it's friday, I'll try to write/upload chapter eleven too. No garantees though. I honestly feel like I was shoved up the wrong end of a dinosaur. Ack._


	11. Chapter 11

_Still chugging orange juice, and feeling a little better. :) It's too cold to go outside and my bro is hogging the TV, so I'm curled up by the fireplace writing THIS. No regrets 3 And omigoodness, all of the reviews came streaming in last chapter! So, I'll do my best to respond!_

_ JustBlossom: Awwwww thank you! :D :D :D_

_ Angie in RandomLand: Hahahaha a thousand chapters? Now THAT'S ambition! :D_

_ hisokauzumaki: Nope! As of the moment I'm writing these words, Jack hasn't seen his memories yet. He was about to, but Pitch interrupted. }:(_

_ isthisparadise: Omigosh I love the enthusiasm! :D :D :D yes yes yes the climax has begun, and I hope you enjoy it! :D :D_

_ Neqyro: hahahaha thanks!_

_ Liza Cobbler: 0_0 cookie? PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE?! *omnomnomnom* And thanks for the get-well wishes; I'm DEFINITELY working on that. Being sick is stupid. _

_ DeadLizgon: o_o Dude. I honestly didn't even think about that. Hmmmm... *evil grin* Snowball to Pitch's face it is. And, in response to your other review (which I loved, by the way!) let's just hope that Jack never finds out..._

_ Harry Potter and Ezio for Life: NOOO! I love it when you review so much! :D :D :D :D It is totally awesome! Review away! :D :D_

_ Hatsu Yukiya: Thanks for the get-well wishes too. :D_

_ KingdomArtemisHetalia: Actually, no, I had no idea hahaha. But dude, that's a TERRIBLE way to die! Augh! (and it's always a shocker when school ACTUALLY teaches you something hahaha)_

_ thegreatwhitewolf: Yes. Yes, I saw those two problems too. As soon as I publish this, I'm going back and fixing those! Thank you! :D And thank you for the continued support!_

_ CatLover1609: Dude. That's awesome. YOU. ARE. AWESOME. (and yes. yes he is xD) Enjoy your sugar high!_

_ Soul-Whisperer: hahahahahahaha!_

_ Drk Pheonyx: You, my friend, totally made my day. I'm so excited that you like it! And thank you so much! :D :D :D_

_ :D Everyone, the climax is underway! :D Please, since this is getting close to the end (which breaks my heart), please let me know what I should work on, like mistakes, grammar, etc. Since this is the final stretch, I want it to be absolutely PERFECT! :D :D :D_

_ On that note, let chapter 11 begin!_

* * *

Jack gritted his teeth and swung his staff with all his might. It dug into the black sand of the horse, sticking there like wet clay, before careening out the other side. It was hard to fight - Jamie was still clinging to his hoodie - but he had to. Jack turned just in time to see another horse, front hooves reared up, prepared to fall down on top of him. In a deft motion he thrust the staff up, through the horses abdomen, and ripped it back out.

In an explosion of black sand, the horse Fearling disappeared into the rapidly chilling wind. Night had fallen on the small town of Burgess, and without the warmth of the sun the snow was rappidly turning to ice. Jack slipped a few times, but he blamed it on the stupid shoes. He had half in mind to just throw the awful things away, but then he remembered how the cold made his feet ache.

He hated it.

"_Jack!" _Jamie's cry snapped him back to the fight, and he barely managed to block one of the Fearling's hooves that were rapidly careening for his head. Suddenly, in a flash and flutter of wings, the dark horse exploded into the night.

Tooth hovered above him, looking more fearsome that Jack had ever seen her. In fact, the image was so off he just stared for a bit. "Jack," Tooth said, jerking him back to reality, "are you alright?"

Jack nodded, then turned to Jamie. "How was that?" he asked, feigning excitement. In reality his heart - that thing in his chest that was frozen for so long - beat. It was a dull beat, a painful beat, but his heart was slowly coming back to reality. Jack's eye seemed to sting, and with an irritated wipe of the sleeve he pushed the feeling away.

"That was _epic," _Jamie replied. There were no fear in his eyes, only astonishment and a smidgen of excitement. To Jack's relief, Jamie still thought that this was some kind of game, some kind of twisted, mad game where all of the rules made no sense.

But Jack only smiled and turned back to the Fearlings. "Thanks," he said, staff ready. The midnight horses had backed away slightly, then one charged forward. Bunnymund jumped in front, distracting it slightly, and providing a ripe opportunity for Jack to strike. Behind him Tooth fought valiantly, cutting through the Fearlings with her wings as if the black sand were made of exactly that - sand.

Suddenly Tooth shouted, "You guys! I figured it out!"

Jack clenched his jaw and cut through another Fearling; sand whipped past his face, stinking the already bruised cheeks. "What are you talking about?" he shouted back over the noise of the fight.

"How to defeat Pitch!"Jack was momentarily stunned, but a blur of gray whizzing past his face snapped him back to reality. It was Bunnymund, and the rabbit slammed into horses face like a furry cannonball, momentarily staggering the Fearling. Jack was close behind and cut through it with his staff, eliciting another blast of black sand.

"And what's your plan?" Bunnymund asked, jumping into the crook of Jack's staff at the same time. Jack whirled it like a baseball bat, launching the Pooka into the face of another Fearling. Jamie laughed, though it sounded forced. _If this keeps up, _Jack thought as he struck another Fearling, _he's gonna wind up doubting me. _And that was _not _allowed to happen.

Tooth spun mid-air, cutting a Fearling with her wings. Honestly, Jack never knew how deadly those things could be. "_Belief," _she exclaimed. "If Pitch get's stronger the more children believe in him and fear..."

"...Then, if children don't believe in him," Bunnymund finished with a grin, "then he'll become pitifully weak."

Jack, however, was disappointed. "That's it?" he asked, clubbing another Fearling. "That's all that needs to happen?"

"It's so basic," Bunnymund smirked. "But," he added with a frown, launching himself at another Fearling, "how are we supposed to get people to... _not _believe in Pitch?"

Jack scowled. He didn't know how to _get _people to believe in him. After all, he spent his entire three-hundred years _trying. _But as for getting people to _stop _believing... "What if we get people to believe in _us?" _he asked.

Suddenly a hand tugged at his hoodie, and he momentarily broke in concentration to glance at Jamie. The kid's brown eyes had that inner mischief that made Jack smile. "Can I help?" he asked, practically pleading.

Jack frowned; he didn't like the idea of sending Jamie to the front lines, but then again... "Yeah," he said, an idea forming in his mind. "Could you convince your friends to believe in us? In the Tooth Fairy, and in Nor- Santa Clause, and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy? And me?" Jack added as an afterthought.

Jamie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

Jack flicked his eyes to Tooth. "Can you take him?" he asked. "You're the fastest one."

Tooth nodded, determination burning in her violet eyes. "Leave it to me," she promised, then in a single graceful motion picked Jamie up and darted into the air, out of reach of the Fearlings. Baby Tooth stayed behind and nestled in Jack's hoodie.

"Just you and me, mate," Bunnymund said, standing back to back with Jack.

Jack smirked. "Guess so," he said, eyeing the Fearlings. They surrounded them in the alley. "So... you take the ones on the left, I'll take the ones on the right?" Suddenly his heart panged; that was the same line he said to Sandy. The same line he said the night Sandy _died._

_ Not died, _Jack corrected himself. _Missing. _

"That's it?" Bunnymund asked, then launched his tiny frame at the nearest Fearling. "I'll be done before you're half-way started."

Jack laughed and cut through one of the Fearlings, wincing as one of his blisters on his palms broke. "Wanna bet?"

"1000 carrots," Bunnymund demanded. There was a blast as a Fearling disappeared.

"And if I win," Jack said, "you're gonna have a white Easter."

A laugh, then, "You're on, mate."

* * *

Pitch smiled despite himself as he watched the fight. He was a mere shadow on the wall, a darker blur against the night. The fight _fascinated _him. The Easter Bunny, a little more that a lump of fur, thrashed his Fearling horses like they were little more than carrot sticks. It was shocking how well the rabbit-rat was doing.

But he was most impressed with Jack Frost. The boy was visibly tired; his human side was losing the fight, but his immortality pressed on. A _normal _human would have all been fallen from exhaustion by now. He could see the dark bruises under the boys eyes, see the darker bruises on his neck. _Breathing must be _especially _painful, _Pitch thought with glee.

But that wasn't good enough. He had to make sure that Jack was pushed to the limit, the brink of endurance.

Pitch smirked. After all, what were the uses of a prisoner when it could still fight back?

* * *

Tooth darted through the air, and it wasn't long before they came to a neighborhood. Most of the lights were off, seeing as how night had fallen, but a few bedroom lights glowed here and there.

"There, there!" Jamie shouted in her arms, pointing to a nearby house. She gently lowered herself in front of the window, peering inside. The bed was pink, the walls were pink with horse posters, and a small night-light glowed pink in the corner.

"This is _adorable!" _Tooth exclaimed, pressing her face against the glass.

Jamie made a noise. "It's _pink," _he stated, as if it explained everything, and gently rapped on the window. No response; he knocked harder.

Suddenly a girl, slightly on the big side, peered out the window. Tooth grinned at the poor girls expression - she was stunned - and she quickly opened the window.

"Hey, Cupcake," Jamie said cheerfully.

Cupcake's mouth dropped. "Jamie? Is that you?"

"Yep!"

"B-But you're..." she peered over the edge, as if to confirm, and said, "But you're _flying!"_

At that, Jamie raised an eyebrow. "No I'm not, the Tooth Fairy is holding me. Anyway," he added in a rush," we need your help. Meet me outside in like, ten minutes okay?"

Cupcake slowly nodded her head, still stunned. "Uh, sure. Okay."

She watched, a little confused, as Jamie said, "Awesome!" and then turned back to his invisible friend. But... he was flying, so it couldn't be invisible. Right?

Suddenly Jamie waved goodbye and he darted back to the ground. Cupcake leaned out the window, as far as she could go, and right before he rounded the corner she saw it - a blur of green and blur and iridescent purple carrying him. The Tooth Fairy - at least, that's what Jamie called her - was beautiful. Like a real queen.

Cupcake jumped off the bed and quickly put on her slippers and scarf. One day, she was going to be a real queen today, with a handsome prince. _And, _she added with a quirky grin, _a beautiful pony that takes me anywhere I want._

* * *

One by one the lights flickered on in the streets, illuminated small patches of snow with their golden hue. The Fearling horde seemed to be endless, the fight drawing out for an eternity. The moon above was hidden behind a cloud, darkening the earth even more.

Jack took another deep breath, the chill in the air burning his lungs. His muscles ached, his feet hurt, his hands blistering from his staff. Yet the Fearlings kept on coming, just coming and coming and coming...

Eventually - he wasn't sure when - everything blurred together into one. He wasn't if one minute had passed or an hour, couldn't tell one Fearling from the next. All he could do was protect himself. He was idly aware that, sometimes, Bunnymund killed one of the Fearlings Jack was supposed to, but he was too tired to notice, let alone care.

He just fought.

Suddenly something wrapped around his ankle. Jack jerked his leg, thinking it was a deeper pile of snow, but it didn't let go. Jack looked down, then froze. The ragged air caught in his throat.

Two yellow eyes gleamed at him from the shadows, then smiled. Black sand bubbled around his feet, like a tar pit, and suddenly he was sinking down... down... down. His arms flailed in the air, he was vaguely aware of calling for help. Suddenly he was waist deep in the sand, sinking farther into the shadows of the pavement.

* * *

Bunnymund noticed, but he noticed too late. "Frostbite!" he shouted, leaping for the boy, but Jack's eyes were slowly closing as he sunk further into the sand of Pitch Black. "Frostbite!" Bunnymund shouted again, ignoring a Fearling that nearly stepped on him. _If only I was bigger I could just pull him out, _he thought in frustration. _But there must be something, something I can do..._

"Kangaroo," Jack mumbled. His dimming eyes were locked with the rabbit. "Take... care of... Tooth and Jamie." His eyes were slowly closing further as he fell into unconsciousness. "I'll be... right... back..."

And just like that, Bunnymund could only watch in his tiny, useless body as Jack was dragged under. He barely even registered the fact that the other Fearlings were slowly disappearing, though a few still hung behind. All he could do was stare at the smooth, icy pavement. There was no indication of Pitch Black appearing there, no indication that Jack just _disappeared. _

Bunnymund could only stare as guilt ravaged his stomach and hate his small size, hate how weak he had become.

He could of notice, but he didn't.

And now Jack would pay the price.

* * *

_The climax is here, everyone! :D :D :D Next chapter will be, if I do say so myself, epic. But I can't write it now; two in one day is my max. Plus, this one was a little longer than most of the chapters, so it took longer. Well, there's that, and also the fact that this WHOLE ENTIRE CHAPTER was ONE HUGE FIGHT SCENE. Aiwhfiahqg that was difficult. Fight scenes... why must you be so epic and so flipping hard to write?! _

_ But anyway, I'm seeing the movie again tomorrow! I'm going to study that thing like a boss, to make sure that I'm doing EVERYTHING right! I'll even do my best to edit! Omigosh I'm __kinda__ excited! Everyone, I just want you to know that this story, Humanity, has been a joy to write! Thank you for all of the support, and reviews, and literally just EVERYTHING! I haven't gotten a single negative review, which is AMAZING! Ahhh! Anyway, next chapter is for you! For ALL of you, readers and reviewers and followers alike! Thank you for the support, and I hope to make you proud!_

_ ~Rand0mSmil3z _

_PS- OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH LIKE, FIVE SECOND AFTER I POSTED THIS I CHECKED THE MAIL AND I'VE BEEN ACCEPTED TO A COLLEGE! IT'S HAPPENING! IT'S HAPPENING AND I'M GOING TO COLLEGE! OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH! OMIGOSH IM FLIPPING OUT SO HARD RIGHT NOW! COLLEGE! I'M GOING! I'M ACTUALLY GOING! _


	12. Chapter 12

_This is it everyone! THIS IS THE CLIMAX THAT I'VE BEEN DYING TO WRITE! :D :D :D :D :D And also, I many thank you's I need to share! So, in no particular order, I'll start off by thanking you all for letting me know what I need to edit! I forgot to last night (I went mildly insane over the whole college business :D :D :D :D Still am) but I'll do that ASAP! And thank you for all of the congrats to college! :D I think I can honestly say, besides the sheer joy of publishing a couple of books and hiking to the top of a mountain, that that was one of the most exciting moments of my life. So, thank you for enjoying it with me! It meant so much! :D :D Thank you for the get well wishes, thank you for the support, and thank you for sticking with Jack through his entire adventure into Humanity. _

_ Reply time! Warning: This is going to be LONG, but I'll compensate with a long chapter. :D And just to throw this out there, I'm a tad iffy about shouting to the world where I got accepted too... Maybe I'm just a tad paranoid. But I'll describe it! This college is set in the mountains, right next to my favorite place on earth! There's skiing and snowboarding, a gorgeous lake, and lots of pine trees and lodges! I love houses that are made out of wood - I love the feel, the warmth of it all, the smell... :3 it's awesome. So I am very much excited indeed! :D :D :D_

_ TheBlackPhantom: I saw your review a little before I finished this chapter, and I just HAD to say something to that! :D :D :D Thank you so much! :D :D For, like, the entire thing! I loved it! And yeah, two chapters a day is tough, but it's still really fun! And I absolutely loved it when you said my story is kind of like watching a movie, because that's how it all plays out in my head! Each chapter is like a slideshow, and I just type what I 'see'. It's magic! :D :D :D So yeah! Omigosh you're awesome! Thank you! (PS- sorry about the salt water! D: My parents force me to do that too... when I was a kid, I accidently drank it before figuring out the whole gargle-thing. FAIL hahaha) _

_ Ace: Hope you had fun with your sleepover last night! Frankily, I was pleasantly surprised that you read this even though your friend was chilling out [SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!] at your place! You're awesome!_

_ moonlight phonex101: I'm planning on getting a dual major in Biological Research and (drum roll) Creative Writing! :D :D _

_ chibi heishi: YES! YES, YOU HAVE FAITH! :D All (well, most) of your worries will be answered in this chapter! Why?! BECAUSE THIS IS THE CLIMAX! JWAIUFGHADWGK! By the way - loved the patience xD xD -hands you a cookie-_

_ Sadie Aurora Night: Awww thank you! :D :D Fight scenes are turds, so thanks for saying they're not too shabby! Also, you're very welcome and I'm gonna let you know that reading your reviews brightens MY day! :D :D It's the CIIIIIIRRRRCLE OF LIIIIIIFFFEEEE! (sorry. I'm really hyper right now, and idk why!)_

_ M: I would never forget about everyone here! I love you all too much!_

_ Harry Potter and Ezio for Life: Awwwwww -glomp- thank you! :D :D :D :D Like I keep on saying, fight scene are a BEAST. And thanks for noticing that I don't use blood and guts and gore! Rise of the Guardians didn't use it, so I'm not gonna use it either! _

_ Flutterxwings: hahahahaha! First off, love the name! Secondly, hahahahaha! That was epic! I also don't have Jack Frost visit me... live right next to the beach, which I shouldn't complain over, but one can get really sick of palm trees and overly spray-tanned tourists (Not even kidding, most are practically neon glow-in-the-dark orange glow sticks that mutated into having two arms, two legs, and half a brain. Most tourists are chill. But other's think they own the world and try to run me over on my bike. Not even kidding, it's happened before, and the shouted out the window that bikes have no place on the street. WHAT STREET? This dirt one?! - lovely rant right there. Sorry!)_

_ Hope I make you proud with this chapter! So, here comes the climax, chapter twelve! Let's start this sucker! _

_ [WARNING: If you haven't seen the movie, this chapter has one big fat MAJOR spoiler that basically runs down the whole movie up until the moment Jack's staff breaks. Just a heads up.]_

_ Oh. And be warned. I didn't want to cut this chapter in half, so this is going to be RIDICULOUSLY long. RIDICULOUSLY. And for that, I'm sorry! But I couldn't bear throwing another cliffhanger at you all!_

_ And now, let's start this chapter for reals!_

* * *

_Where am I?_

Jack turned his head, ever so slightly. Black surrounded him, that endless midnight that threatened to swallow him up. His memory box - somehow it stayed in his pocket - glowed slightly. It was the only source of light, and from it only one word was uttered: _"Dad." _Jack took a deep, ragged, exhausted breath.

_Dad._

Suddenly there was a jolt and he was thrown against the white ground. Ice snagged his sleeves and pants as he skidded and rolled, and snow seemed to bleach his brown hair. However, it fell away when Jack managed to stagger to his feet despite the protests of his sore legs, his burning muscles, his bone-deep exhaustion. He idly checked to make sure he was still holding his staff; his arms had gone numb long ago.

He wasn't used to this soreness, this tiredness. He wasn't used to his feet stinging with blisters and his hands stripped of the top layer of skin. He wasn't used to feel the chill of winter creep down his spine like a virus.

"Jack." Pitch's voice was a sneer. His footsteps crunched on the frosted snow, one step following the other. One cold hand darted out and Jack was too slow, too tired to dodge it. The Fearings had stolen his energy, and the robotic movements of the fight had long left him. Now he was simply a rag doll in Pitch's gaunt hand.

Jack winced as Pitch's fingers brushed against his bruised throat, then suddenly tightened. A strangled cry of pain echoed through the clearing in the woods, rebounded off of the small lake etched over with thin ice.

"You could have become one with me," Pitch whispered in an almost fevered voice, as if he was running out of time. "You could have avoided all of this."

Jack's vision dimmed and he squeezed his eyes shut. Pitch didn't need to tell him; he already _knew _that he messed up. How many times had he told himself, repeated it to himself like a chant? How many times did he catch himself thinking to actually join Pitch's side, just to make all of the pain and saddness go away? After all, he didn't matter much. The other Guardians - that real Guardians - did. Jack was only Jack, bringer of snow and cold.

An amused laugh tore from his lips, though it sounded pained. _And now I can't even do that._

Suddenly the fingers around his throat tightened, cutting his chuckle off and replacing it with a ragged cry of pain. "You," Pitch stated, yellow eyes burning with hate, "have nothing to laugh about."

Jack's hands painfully, numbly, futilely tried to unwind Pitch's grasp off his neck. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to open his eyes, hurt to make any sound. His feet hurt from kicking the air, his arms burning from the fight to protect earlier and the fight to survive now. Suddenly his heart beat once more in his chest, a painful throb that tore the air right out of his lungs.

Without warning something green and small blurred across his vision, aimed straight at Pitch's face. Jack's eyes widened. _Baby Tooth! _He struggled against Pitch's grasp all the harder, trying to free himself. Baby Tooth was chirping defiantly, buzzing around Pitch's head like an annoying fly, doing her best to stab him with her long beak.

Suddenly there was a chirp of pain and Baby Tooth slammed against the snow, unconscious. Pitch barked a laugh and the fingers around Jack's throat tightened, stopping his cry for Baby Tooth. Tears pricked his eyes and he forced them shut.

_No._

In his chest, his lifeless heart beat painfully once more.

Suddenly Pitch lightly shook Jack, and his head rattled on his neck. "Open your eyes," Pitch ordered. Jack obeyed; if he was going to die right now, then he might as well glare at the Spirit of Fear all the while. After all, he was _not afraid. _He would not let himself be afraid, would not let himself fall under. Would not...

His painful heart throbbed in his chest, and Jack winced from the incredible pain.

Suddenly Pitch's yellow eyes crinkled and he burst out laughing. "It's done," he laughed madly, then Jack was aware he was being dragged. He gasped-

-his heart beat-

-and he was suddenly facing the snowy ground. With an impatient kick Pitch sent the top layer of snow arching into the air, and now Jack was faced by a flat pain of ice. It was clear ice, the most beautiful ice. He could see his face; his hair was brown, like the chocolate he loved. His face looked incredibly tan to him, but then again, Jack had no real idea of what tan was. It was only slightly flushed. His eyes were wide, slightly blurred, but they were brown.

Both of them.

Jack cried out, scrambling to get out of Pitch's grasp. _No! _His mind rebelled against the thought, rebelled at the _notion _that, after three hundred years of Jack Frost, he was human again. Pitch was laughing, but Jack barely even noticed. All he was focused on was getting free... there had to be _something _he could do, had to be _something..._

His heart beat, sick and wet in his chest, and Jack clamped his mouth against the pain.

In one swift motion, Jack's feet were suddenly wildly kicking at empty air as Pitch held him up like a doll. "Goodbye, Jack," Pitch grinned, holding him above the lake. "Maybe in your next life you'll be... much more willing to cooperate."

And suddenly Jack was falling. He crashed against the thin ice, dead center of the lake, and with a sickening snap it all broke through it all. Dark water surrounded him, dark and icy, getting into his nose and freezing his mouth, still open mid-cry.

The initial cold was incredible, like a thousand pins and needles and daggers and swords and spears were all cutting into him, all of them at the exact same time. Jack screamed, but his scream was muffled, and thin glassy bubbles slowly weaved their way to the hole in the ice. All Jack could see was black around him and the pale blue of the world above. The hole in the ice was a small orb of light, calling out to him, and - with splayed fingers - Jack reached.

_"Dad." _The voice echoed in the freezing water, taunting Jack. His grip spasmed while holding his staff, his lungs screamed for air. The cold - the incredible _cold - _ sapped his energy right out of his bones, straight through his skin.

His vision was fading, the voice farther away. His lungs, in one last-ditch effort to survived, seemed to crush in on themselves and Jack automatically sucked in as much air - and water - as he could. It was cold, wet, painful in his chest, like a dead weight, yet his lungs still burned from want. Jack's frozen grip relaxed on his staff, but the fingers too numb to move very much. His heart beat once and faltered.

Jack Frost, the human, was dying.

* * *

Bunnymund jumped from Fearling to Fearling, trying to kill and not be killed himself. It was steadily getting harder; worry for Jack consumed him like a plague. Sure, the kid annoyed him at times, but Frostbite had managed to grow on him. Even though Jack was carefree and too curious and free-spirited for his own good, he still managed to cling to that childlike innocence that all of the Guardians strived for. In fact, Jack did it without even thinking. It was just who he was.

Suddenly the sky darkened, and Bunnymund turned towards the sky and gasped. It looked like a tsunami crashing down on Burgess, but instead of water this one was made of pitch black sand. It hung in the sky, suspended there as if by strings, and the message was clear; Pitch could destroy all of them in a single instant. The Guardian's struggle was useless, their fight only an annoyance.

For not the first time Bunnymund felt the fear set in, freeze his bones and stagger his breathing. The Fearlings, noticing the change, turned to the sky and whinnied. Their cries sent chills down Bunnymund's spine.

_Was this it?_

Suddenly Tooth landed right beside him, still holding Jamie. "I did it!" Jamie shouted. "All of my friends are coming to help, and they all believe and stuff and... Woah." He turned his head towards the sky, joining Tooth's and Bunnymund's horrified gazes. "That's a lot of sand."

Bunnymund dryly chuckled. "No kiddin', mate."

"Wh-what are we going to do?" Tooth asked.

Jamie landed feet first on the icy snow. "Well, we're gonna beat it up, duh," he answered, as if it was the simplest answer in the world.

Bunnymund's eyes widened. This...this _kid _should be terrified right now, cowering in some corner in fear, but his brown eyes only housed defiance. _How? _he wondered, and then he realized; it was because of Jack. Bunnymund's small mouth twitched into a grin; even when kidnapped, Frostbite was still looking out for them.

But in the meantime...

"Let's run," Bunnymund said. Tooth glanced at him, eyes filled with worry, and nodded.

Suddenly Jamie shouted, "This way!" and ran out the alleyway, then paused. "Wait! Where's Jack!?"

Bunnymund's heart twisted, but all he said was, "Jack... went to do something important. Really, really important," he added. Tooth shot him a horrified glance; it was clear she pieced it all together. After all, it wasn't that hard; most of the Fearlings had disappeared, and now Pitch seemed stronger than ever courtesy of the giant wave of black sand looming over Burgess.

Jamie scowled, then grinned and said, "Okay. Follow me!" With that he dashed out of the alleyway, Tooth and Bunnymund close behind.

"B-Bunnymund," Tooth asked, voice low and scared, "will Jack be okay?"

Bunnymund took a deep breath. "If it's Jack," he answered, eyes focused on the snow in front of him, "he'll be fine."

* * *

Jack couldn't feel his arms or legs, couldn't feel his body, couldn't open his eyes. He felt disconnected from the world, yet still stubbornly hanging on. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't shout for help. After all, even if he could, who would be there to hear him?

No one.

Just like before. Just like before Jamie believed in him, before he met the Guardians, before he learned what a 'family' really meant instead of just seeing it play out in the streets. If Jack was crying, he couldn't tell. If Jack hurt, he couldn't feel it.

All he felt was, in the darkest sense of the word, nothing. Nothing at all.

He wondered what he had been doing up until now, but the only thing he could really remember were the last couple of days with the Guardians. Everything else seemed to boring in comparison. It all started with a darker blur against the shadows, racing up the street, and he ended up in some bag and tossed through a magic portal.

He remembered how the Guardians were going to celebrate, but it was all too sudden and too _weird _that he tried to leave. He liked attention; he didn't like so much attention that he felt like a bug under a microscope. He idly wondered if the elves that had tried to play the instruments had forgiven him yet.

He remembered fighting Pitch for the first time. He remembered the fear he felt, he remembered watching Sandy die with a black arrow embedded into his stomach. He remembered Sandy's face - Surprise, shock, defiance, acceptance - like a slideshow, and he couldn't help but wonder, _How did I look before I died?_

Not that anyone was here to see it happen. _Happening, _he corrected himself. _I'm not dead yet..._

He remembered Pitch's layer, remembered watching Tooth crumble away. Remembered with a smile when they all tried to deliver the teeth, then accidently forgot the gifts that replaced them.

He remembered it all, and with a start he realized that those were the happiest moments of his life.

_I don't want to die. _

The thought burned through him like a torrent, consumed all of his thoughts. His humanity shrieked at him to live, to survive. His heart, frozen over, beat once again.

_I don't want to die. _

He forced his frozen eyelids to snap open. He shuddered, convulsed in the water as he tried to force himself back to the surface. The hole in the eyes suddenly began to glow, as if the moon descended onto the lake itself. Then he saw it; a small glimmer in the water, a tiny flash of gleaming metal. Jack reached forward, grabbed his memory box, and threw open the lid.

Golden like burst around him, wrapping him in warmth.

* * *

Jack opened his eyes. He was in the same small house he saw before in his dream, but this time in his room. At least, he thought it was his room. A small window, blurred with the morning frost, allowed the morning sun to stream in and play games on the wooden floor. Small wood carvings covered his shelf, and he immediatly knew them as Pippa's, his sister's, carvings. She was going to be an artist one day, he knew it.

He took a deep breath of the cold air and, with a shiver, curled back underneath the warm covers...

...then gasped as something incredibly hyper and incredibly short barreled into him, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

"You _promised!" _squealed a girl's voice. With a start Jack knew it was Pippa, and glanced over the covers to get a good look at his sister. Long, straight brown hair and brown eyes the exact same shade as his. When she saw him looked she squealed again, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Promised, promised, promised, promised...!"

"Okay, okay!" Jack laughed, swinging his legs out of the bed. He shivered when his toes touched the freezing floor. "I'm coming! I'll be right there!"

"You _better," _Pippa grinned, then stuck her tongue out at him as she accidently slammed the door shut. Jack smiled at his sister's wild antics and slowly got out of the warmth of the bed, then quickly got dressed.

Today was an important day, after all. It was Pippa's eighth birthday, and he promised to teach her how to ice skate on the lake not too far from here. It was still a little early for ice skating, but Pippa _insisted, _so how could he say now? He slipped on some slippers and walking into the dining room.

His mom and dad were eating breakfast on the small table. It had more dents in it that last time, Jack recalled, but it seemed normal. Dad also had more gray in his hair than last time, and Mom's face was worn but kind. Pippa was bouncing by the doorway in pure excitement, hands clutching her small ice skates. Jack bought them for her, for her birthday, and she practically slept with those things. "Are you ready yet?" Pippa asked, darting to him and clinging to his white cotton shirt.

Jack laughed. "In a sec," he said, swiping some bread off of the table and exchanging his slippers for his boots. He opened the door and shouted, "We'll be back for breakfast!" over his shoulder.

However, his exit was staggered by his Mom. "Jackson Overland Frost!" she exclaimed, rising from the table. Jack peeked at her over his shoulder, wondering what he forgot this time. She disappeared behind the door and then came back, holding his leather cloak. "Stay safe, okay?" she insisted, helping Jack into it.

"Safe is my middle name," he replied. Mom smiled - he loved it when she smiled - and lightly kissed his forehead, then Pippa's. She squirmed, smile so wide it eclipsed the sun.

"Be back soon!" she shouted, waving goodbye from the doorway.

"We will!" Pippa replied, and soon they were darting through the forest with smiled on their faces.

Suddenly the scene changed. They were at the lake now, but Pippa was crying. "Jack," she said, through her tears, "I'm scared."

"D-don't be!" Jack said with a strained smile. Cold bit into his feet, and with a start he realized that he had thrown his ice skates away. He took a hesitant step closer to Pippa, who was still wearing his skates, and winced when the ice cracked underneath him. But he soon replaced his facial expression with a smile. "I'm not kidding - we'll be okay."

"You always kid!" Pippa wailed.

Jack forced a smile. "Not this time," he promised. "Instead we're... we're gonna play a game!"

"I don't wanna play a game!"

"Yes, you do," Jack insisted. "We're.. we're going t play hop scotch!"

"I don't wanna play hop scotch!" Pippa cried. "I want to get _off!" _

"And you will!" Jack said with a smile he didn't feel. "You just have to believe in me, okay?" Pippa nodded, eyes full of tears. "Watch." Jack turned to the ground and, with a deep breath that stirred up the butterflies in is his stomach, lightly moved his foot closer to the back. It seemed miles away, and he winced when the ice snapped. He took another quick step; the ice crackles, and Pippa cried out when he staggered. But Jack glanced right back at her with an impossible grin on his face, and took the third and final step.

"Now it's your turn," he said quickly. Pippa sniffed, then nodded and tried to take a step. But her new ice skates slid and slipped on the ice and she flailed her arms, screaming. Jack grabbed a nearby stick, the one he used for the sheep, and nabbed Pippa in the crook. Her eyes widened as he launched her across the ice. She skid slightly but, with a thump, made it to the shore bank.

"I did it!" Pippa shrieked. "I beat you! I won the game!"

"You won!" Jack said, throwing his arms into the air in delight. He saved her, he did it, and he took a step to join her-

-and the ice snapped and cracked, then broke completely. The last thing he saw before falling into the water were Pippa's large, brown eyes, impossible wide, and her voice as she screamed his name.

* * *

Pitch smiled as the hole in the ice steadily froze over again. It was a thin coating. However, he didn't smile because of the ice.

He smiled because Jack was finally out of the picture.

A laugh bubbled out of his throat and exploded into the air. He, Pitch Black, and won.

Suddenly the ice of the lake spider-webbed with cracks. Pitch's laugh froze dead in the air as the moon peaked out from behind a cloud. The lake seemed to _glow, _glow with an inner light, and suddenly the light burst from the lake.

In the center of the light was a boy. Pitch narrowed his eyes, peering through the blinding light; the boy had white hair, whiter than snow, and blue frost laced through his staff. When he opened his eyes Pitch was staring into two glassy orbs that were impossibly blue, almost like his eyes were carved out of two sapphires.

Then he realized.

_No. _

Pitch took a step back, tripping over the snow.

_That's impossible._

The light faded and the Jack Frost gently sailed down to the snowy earth on the icy wind. His bruises were gone, the pain in his eyes missing entirely. He smiled, his smile dazzling in the moonlight. Pitch cringed; _this wasn't supposed to happen! This wasn't...!_

Jack smirked, and raised his staff in front of him. Ice laced through the air in intricate patterns, and said, "I'm not afraid of you."

* * *

_I know! This chapter was super long, twice as long as usual, but seriously. I definitely couldn't stop in the middle of that. There was just no way. _

_ And didn't I promise that this story would have a happy ending? :D But this story isn't through yet! Until next time, _

_ Rand0mSmil3z_


	13. Chapter 13

_Omygoodness everyone. The reviews, every single one of them, were amazing. By the way, for Rise of the Guardians, Humanity has the most follows! :D That's incredible! And I only uploaded chapter 12 just a few short hours ago! I'm so glad you're loving this story, and I'm so happy for all of the support. We broke 20,000 views today and 300 reviews. More incredibleness :') Thank you everyone! Not even kidding, you're all so amazing. I can't believe how popular Humanity has become, and it's all thanks to you guys. :D :D :D :D_

_ I usually reply to everyone's reviews, but... I don't know what to say! That's a rare moment hahaha! But I do want to say thank you. Thank you so much everyone. Thank you all for everything. :')_

_ Lightningpool: I will reply to yours because you have a valid question! I should have made this slightly more obvious - Jack wouldn't join Pitch because he wanted to be loved, not feared. That's why Pitch threw Jack into the river and said "maybe in the next life you'll be more cooperative." :) Hope that helps!_

_ So here it is. Chapter Thirteen :') Thank you for joining Jack in his adventure into humanity! This will be the last full-on chapter of Humanity, so I'll make it especially long; there might be an epilogue after this too. I'm still thinking about it. Anyway, this chapter's to you. All of you! :D Enjoy!_

_..._

Pitch turned and ran.

Snow had just began to fall from the sky, gently drifting from the clouds and stinging his cheeks. His breaths came in short gasps. Behind him, he could hear the soft footsteps of the Winter Spirit bounding through the trees as gracefully as the wind itself. Time was running out; of that, Pitch was certain. In that instant he let the tidal wave of black sand, the sand that hung above Burgess as if it had been frozen in time, fall. A sly smile curled on Pitch's gray lips - this would be his last stand.

And he would make it count.

...

Jamie's eyes widened as the tsunami of black began to fall. It started out slow, a mere creak and groan, before whatever strings held the sand in place snapped. It was like a fragment of midnight broke apart from the rest of the night sky and decided to fall down on top of him. Beside him, he could hear the Tooth Fairy gasp and whisper a no, could hear the Easter Bunny shout something that had something to do with running.

_But what's the point? _Jamie wondered, eyes locked with the falling sky. _Where would we go? _The sand was falling too fast... they would all drown. Jamie shuddered; _Drown and die. _

Then he remembered. He remembered Jack, the magical guy that flew out of the wall, promising that everything would be okay. _He promised, _Jamie remembered, _and magical people never break their promise. _

"We'll be okay," he said, turning to Cupcake with a smile. She tore her gaze from the sky, watching him with her big scared eyes. "I promise." She blinked, surprised; her surprise increased when Jamie linked his hand through hers. She squeezed, and then Jamie turned to the Tooth Fairy standing to his left. He held out his hand; the Tooth Fairy blinked her violet eyes before smiling.

"Of course we'll be okay," she said, linking her hand through Jamie's with a smile. Jamie smiled back as the chain continued; even the Easter Bunny with his tiny stature was included by hoping on one of Jamie's friend's shoulder.

The sand continued to fall.

Jamie took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _Jack promised that everything we'll be okay, _he repeated in his head. His brown eyes snapped open and he glared defiantly at the falling tsunami of black sand. _And I'll believe in Jack. _No - that wasn't right. _I'll believe in everyone. _

Suddenly there was an explosion of golden sand, like a tornado, twisting and turning in front of them. Another blast and the golden sand formed a barrier, blocking the black sand and sucking it in. The horse Fearlings nearby, the stragglers from before, whinnied at the sudden blast and charged forward. Jamie spun just in time to see a Fearling jumping towards him - the Tooth Fairy jumped to stand in front of Jamie, to protect him, but suddenly there was a blur of silver and the Fearling vanished.

"Why you start this party without me?!" came a shout. Jamie wasn't familiar with foreign accents, but he thought it sounded Russian. He glanced at the Tooth Fairy, meaning to ask her, but his eyes widened when he saw the tears in her violet eyes.

Suddenly she smiled, and the tears fell. "North... Sandy."

The Easter Bunny hopped to the ground, cotton-ball tail twitching in excitement. "Well," he growled, "it's about bloody time!"

...

Jack couldn't suppress the smile as he weaved through the frosty trees. He wasn't cold anymore, his legs and arms didn't hurt, his wounds didn't sting. He kicked the stupid shoes off somewhere; hopefully North wouldn't mind.

_North. _

Instantly his mood soured and he sped through the trees all the faster. He would make Pitch _pay _for what he did, because if Pitch could take his friends - no, the member's of his family - away, then he was going to bring them all back.

His staff pulsed cheerfully in his hand as he hooked the curved tip around a branch and swung. Pitch was staggering through the snow as fast as he could, with his black cape trailing behind, but he wasn't fast enough.

Without a sound Jack landed directly in front of the Spirit of Fear, white hair blowing in his face and blue eyes icier than the surrounding landscape. With a cry of surprise Pitch fell backward heavily onto the snow.

Jack casually swung his staff over his shoulder and took a step forward. "Game over, Pitch," he said, voice laced with ice. Pitch's yellow eyes widened as the Guardian took a step closer to him, and his hands curled up into fists at his side.

_No._

...

_"North!" _Tooth's cry cut through the night as she launched herself forward, small feathered arms wrapping out North's large neck. "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay...!"

He laughed, patting her back but minding the wings. "I wouldn't go down so easy, no?"

Bunnymund hopped towards them, though he barely made it up to North's ankle. "I have to admit," he said, voice slightly on the teasing side, "you had me worried, big man."

"Did I?" North said, then laughed as if that was the most amusing thing in the world.

Suddenly a small tinkling was heard and Sandy floated towards them, small gestures of fireworks over his head. "And Sandy!" Tooth cried out, wrapping her arms around the chubby little Spirit. "You're okay too! Oh, I was so worried, so worried...!"

Sandy wrapped his small arms around her, a small dancer of sand leaping over his head.

Jamie couldn't believe it. "Woaaaah..." he murmured, trying to absorb exactly what he was seeing. Santa Claus came, like, out of nowhere, and the Sandman was here too. Jamie's lips twitched into a smile. "Awesome," and without warning he shouted, "I knew you guys were real!" He immediately turned to all of his friends, grabbing the nearest shoulders and lightly shaking the dorky kid. "I told you! I _told _you so!"

Suddenly a whinny snapped him back to the present. "Looks like we're not out of the woods yet, mate," the Easter Bunny said, leaping over to them. Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the Easter Bunny was no longer a little bunny.

"Easter kangaroo!" Jamie shrieked, pointing at the pooka. "No way! I thought you were supposed to be a rabbit!"

At that the Easter Bunny leaned in close. "I'm a bunny," he said in a low voice.

"Ahhh..." Jamie's mouth quirked into a smile. "My mistake." Bunnymund only rolled his eyes; this kid was like Jack in way too many ways...

_Jack. _

"Come'on guys," he said, turning to the rest of the Guardians. Belief had brought them back together again, and Tooth happily hovered in the air. "Let's get this over with and nab Frostbite back."

"You got it," Tooth said, then dashed to the nearest Fearling and ripped it apart with her wings. The children oohed and awwed delight; who knew the Tooth Fairy was such a boss?

The fight was over in a blink of the eye. No longer were the Guardian's a weak, ragtag group. Pitch has seasoned them, the fights had brought them all together like a knitted fabric. Sandy had his golden whips in hand, North cut through the few Fearlings with his sword. Bunnymund threw his boomerang, taking a few out, and Tooth took care of the rest. One Fearling had gotten too close to Jamie, but he took care of it by simply tapping it on the nose. Within moments it had turned into a golden, gorgeous, prancing horse, and soon the children joined in the fight too.

The moon, bright and silver, seemed to be smiling down at them. The endless night of Pitch Black was coming to an end.

...

The rising sun stained the sky pink and purple s Pitch crawled backward, trying to get as far away from Jack Frost as possible. "You don't want to do this," he hissed.

Jack's blue eyes narrowed and, in a blur, his staff was inches away from Pitch's face. "Tell me one good reason," he said between clenched teeth, "why I shouldn't." The staff pulsed with frost, pulsed with a cold Pitch's fear could never accomplished.

Pitch swallowed, then said, "I can help you."

"Be destroying my friends?" Jack replied, voice hard and cold. "By hurting thousands?" Now the staff was only millimeters from Pitch's face, glowing a icy blue. Frost gathered on Pitch's forehead; not enough to freeze over, but just enough to remind Pitch of the predicament he was actually in.

But Pitch didn't care. "People will believe in us!" he breathed. "You and I, together, ruling as one. We won't have to be alone anymore!"

Jack's eyes narrowed. _Alone. _He knew that word, _hated _that word. How many nights had he spent in the early morning frost, lonely as can be, with only the tees to talk to? How many times had we watched parents walking down a sidewalk, with a little kid holding their hands and swinging in between them? How many times had he wanted a family so bad, to feel wanted and loved and missed when he was gone, that it _hurt? _

"But if I join you," Jack said in a voice so low it was barely a whisper, "people would fear me. And I don't want to be feared. I just want to be remembered." Pitch's yellow eyes narrowed. "I just want to be known."

...

Tooth watched the moon set and the sun rise, staining the sky pink and red and purple. Worry settled in her stomach like a plague, eating her up from the inside.

"I'm sure he's fine," Bunnymund said, sitting down on the roof beside her. Tooth wanly smiled and turned back to the brightening sky.

"I know," she whispered, then sniffed. "I'm sure he is."

Jamie and his friends had been sent back to their homes, and with a little magic Sandy had them all dreaming in no time. After all, if their parents woke up and saw their children weren't at home, that would cause even more problems. Jamie was especially unhappy about it, but Sandy took care of that without a problem.

Tooth sighed and rested her head in her hands. North wordlessly joined them on the frosted roof, and soon even Sandman was hovering with them. His face was uncharacteristically worried as he watched the reddening sky.

Suddenly Tooth perked up. "My babies," she whispered, then turned to the rest of the Guardian's. "They've been set free."

"By who?" North asked.

"I-I don't know," she mumbled, turning her head away. "They're all so happy I can't get a clear picture..." Suddenly her face broke into a smile, and her head snapped back to the Guardians. "Do you think it's...?!" Snow began to gently fall from the sky.

"Maybe," Bunnymund said, getting to his feet with a shiver. He hated this cold. He refused to get his hopes up, because he knew that if he did, he probably wouldn't make it if he was wrong.

Tooth turned her head back towards the sky, still smiling, but her eyes were rapidly filling with tears. "I hope it's Jack," she whispered, but she had no way of knowing. All she could do was wait.

...

Jack flew on the wind, the familiar wind he loved. It wrapped around him, carrying him as if he was a child, making sure that he wouldn't be hurt. He missed the wind more than he realized.

"There," he said, pointing down to the small town of Burgess. He noticed that the shadows were gone and the place seemed warm and light and _cheerful _again. Early morning frost coated the rooftops, and spur-of-the-moment and with a flick of his staff, snow began to fall.

Jack grinned; he missed doing that.

Then suddenly he saw them, the Guardians, sitting on top of a roof. "Hey!" he shouted, wilding waving his arms. His grinned widened when he saw Tooth's green head snap up, and before he knew it she was flying up to him at a million miles per hour. He barely even had time to brace himself before Tooth barreled into him, hands wrapped around his neck in a vice-like hug.

"Oh Jack," she sputtered out, crying. "You're okay, you're alright, and..." She pulled away, still sniffling, then wailed, "and you're back to _normal...!" _This brought on a fresh wave of tears and Tooth clung to Jack, refusing to let go.

"Ah... yeah..." Jack mumbled. His face burned, but no one could tell because he was now permanently pale. He was a tad grateful for that. "H-how are you feeling?"

"Better!" she squealed, then grabbed Jack's hand and dragged him down to the other Guardians. "Someone released all of my baby teeth sprites, and the Fearlings are gone, and..." her voice drifted off as Jack grinned at the mention of the baby teeth and Baby Tooth jumped out of his hoodie, chirping happily.

"_Baby Tooth!" _Tooth squealed, holding her tooth sprite close. Jack smiled as he watched them reunite, then suddenly big arms wrapped around him in a death-grip.

"You're... crushing... me...!" Jack gasped out. Whoever was holding him laughed and squeezed all the harder. _I know that laugh. _Jack's eyes widened and he glanced up to meet North's grinning face. "_North!" _he cried out, stunned and smiling. "You're alive!"

"Of _course _I'm alive," North grinned. "Guardian's are immortal!"

"A-and Sandy too!" Jack added, turning to the Sandman. Sandy waved and a multitude of images popped on his head, most of which Jack didn't understand, but it didn't matter.

"You, Frostbite," Bunnymund said, patting Jack's back, "had us worried for a sec."

"If _you _were worried," Jack grinned, "then I was in worse shape than I thought." But he wasn't thinking about that; the mere fact that someone cared about what happened to him consumed his thoughts and made his eyes water. For the first time in 300 years, he felt wanted. Cared about. _Like I belong in a real family_. Jack grinned, tears burning his sapphire eyes, not trusting his voice enough to speak. But he didn't have to; they all sat on the roof together, watching the sun rise, without speaking a word. _Like a real family. _

And, Guardian or human, that was all Jack Frost really wanted.

...

_A couple days later_

Jamie blinked open his eyes. It was a snow day today, like yesterday, and the day before yesterday too. He grinned and jumped out of bed, then ran to the window to see just how much snow had fallen.

What he saw was immensely satisfying; white covered the world in a single perfect sheet. Jamie whooped, quickly got dressed, grabbed his battered sled, and darted outside. "I'll be back soon!" he called over his shoulder.

"Be safe!" his mom replied, and Jamie darted out the door. The snow glistened in the morning sunrise, turning the ground into a thousand glittering diamonds. He took a deep breath, grinning as the chilled air filled his lungs.

_This will probably be the last snow day, _he thought, running up the hill. It was sad, but at the same time, Jamie was itching to see the green grass again.

Suddenly he stopped. There was some kid, a teenager, leaning against the statue. He was wearing a blue hoodie, and his hands was a long staff that reminded Jamie of the shepherds in his picture books. It reminded Jamie of the boy that flew from the wall, but this guy had white hair instead of brown.

"Um, hey," Jamie said tentatively.

The kid turned to Jamie, eyes impossibly blue, and smiled. "Hey, Jamie."

Jamie's face broke out into a grin. The voice was the same, and the smile was too. Maybe magical people could change their hair color whenever they felt like it but, in the end, it didn't change who they were inside. "Jack!" Jamie grinned, barreling into Jack laughing.

Jack laughed, then his lips twitched into a mischievous grin. "Want to go sledding?" he asked casually, but Jamie could hear the grin underneath.

"Yeah," Jamie breathed, then clambered onto the sled and hung on tight.

Ice crept along the ground, freezing the snow over, and suddenly Jamie was flying down the hill. Jack was flying right next to him, grinning the biggest grin Jamie had ever seen. "Hang on!" he shouted as they slid into the street. Jamie whooped in delight as they weaved past cars and pedestrians alike; a few told him to slow down, but Jamie didn't want to.

"Faster!" he shouted with a laugh.

Jack's grin broadened. "Okay, but you have to hang on!" he replied. Soon they were a blur down the street, but Jamie wasn't scared. After all, Jack was with him, and Jack would keep him safe. Jamie grinned.

Because, no matter what, magical people _always _kept their promises.

...

_I was originally going to end it before the whole Jamie sledding scene, but then I remembered that Jamie didn't spontaneously combust after they went to bed, and Jack still needed to be believed in as a Guardian. And then, wala! Sledding time!_

_ Anyway, it's true. This will be the last chapter of Humanity. :( I'm super sad, to be totally honest; this was so much fun to write and you all made it so worth it. Honestly, thank you so much! It was a real joy to read all of the reviews, to get the notifications and open them up like Christmas presents. :D You guys are definitely the best audience in the world. I mean, I didn't get one mean review. Not one out of those three hundred plus. That's incredible, and you have no idea how much that means to me. :') I'm so happy you all liked this story; a couple people told me that they cried. That's the greatest compliment for a writer, so thank you. Thank you all so much, thank you for the college wishes, thank you all for everything. _

_ I'm still thinking about a new story. I've got a few ideas, not sure which one to pick, but in the mean time feel free to request stories. I've never done this before, so don't shoot me in the head if I get something wrong. :) Also, if you have an idea for a new story for me, feel free to shout it out! I love new ideas!_

_ Until next time, _

_ Rand0mSmil3z_


	14. Epilogue

_Ah... Surprise! I'm back! :D :D :D Well, I'm adding an epilogue. Why? Because there was one more question that needed to be answered... what the heck happened to Pitch? Well, there was that, and the fact that an idea popped up that worked out perfectly with this story's ending. :) :) :) So, here you go! I hope all of your questions are answered!_

_ Now. Let's start - and end - this thing. Here's the epilogue; enjoy! :D_

_..._

Pitch slammed his fists on his stone chair. "NO!" he shouted, his voice echoing through his entire cavern. It passed through the empty cages that hung from the ceiling, bounced through the empty hallways and down the crooked stairs. His teeth ground against each other as he glared out the cold floor, eyes smoldering.

He flicked his eyes to his globe. The lights simply _burned _on its metal surface like a constellation of stars. With each spark Pitch felt weaker, like a little piece of himself dimmed out and faded completely. "How did this happen?" he growled, thinking out loud, and then he remembered.

_"I want to be known," Jack said. Pitch watched as all of the hate disappeared from his eyes, just simply faded away as if never existed in the first place. _

_ "And you _will _be known," Pitch protested. He tried to get to his feet, but Jack's frosty eyes snapped to him and the staff lowered down to Pitch's throat. Pitch slowly slid back down onto the wet snow, hand up. _

_ Jack's eyes narrowed. "People would only fear me," he said. "And I don't want that."_

_ Pitch's eyes flared and he reached forward, hands reaching for Jack's throat. But suddenly his fingertips froze over, and the freezing sensation traveled down his arm and spread. "Your game is over," Jack whispered. His eyes were filled with an emotion Pitch recognized as pity. "No one is afraid of you now."_

_ Something inside Pitch broke. "NOOOOOO!" he shrieked. He tried to stand, to kill the Guardian in front of him, but to his shock he couldn't move. Instead he fell over on his side, frozen solid. _

_ "Goodbye, Pitch," Jack said. To Pitch's pure horror and raw hatred, the boy's voice was filled with _pity. _How Pitch hated pity. He was not to be pitied, he was to be feared, hated, _loathed...!

_But Jack only turned away. "Goodbye, Pitch," the young spirit said again. "Don't hurt my family again, or next time," he turned around, blue eyes flaring, "-I won't let you off so easily."_

_ Pitch wanted to shout that Jack should just end this, should just finish him off and be done with it, but his voice was frozen. Then he realized; he was afraid. He was afraid that this moment might have been his last. So Pitch Black, the Boogeyman, held his tongue as the Guardian sailed into the air, like an angel, aiming for the free morning sky._

It took a while for Pitch to thaw out, and when he did he slunk back to his layer. "Jack Frost will pay for what he did," he hissed to no one in particular. His hand balled up on his stone chair, his yellow eyes staring ahead into empty space. "That boy will regret the moment he was born."

...

Jack Frost casually lay against a tree, minding his own business, whit his gaze locked with the blue sky above. His snow white hair gently waved in the breeze, and he gently closed his sapphire blue eyes.

_It's over. _

Jack smiled. _And I didn't even mess up._

He opened his eyes, startled to see Tooth perched next to him intently staring at his face. When she saw his stare she jumped back, chuckling nervously. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you," she explained in a rush, darting back and forth into the air.

Jack blinked, then smiled. "Sorry," he said, sitting up and rubbing his head. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Tooth asked, hovering by his shoulder as he slowly got to his feet.

"Just... thinking," Jack shrugged, then kicked at the snow that piled at his feet. Tooth patiently waited for Jack to start talking; she didn't want to interrupt. "Did you know I had a family," Jack finally whispered, recalling the memory with a smile. "A sister, too," he added, turning to her and grinning.

"What was her name?" Tooth asked.

"Pippa. She- she had brown hair too. Like me," he grinned, then added with another dazzling smile, "she was going to be an artist one day."

Tooth couldn't help her own smile. Jack had a thousand different smiled; ones for when he was happy, some for when he was sad, or angry, or hurt, but this was the first time she had ever seen this kind of smile on Jack. This new smile was kind, infinitely kind, and so full of warmth that didn't seem possible for a spirit specializing in the cold.

Suddenly the smile disappeared, and Jack quickly turned away. "I- I wonder what happened to her," he whispered. His voice as so low Tooth thought she missed it.

"Well," Tooth said with a small smile, "why don't we go find her?"

Jack's head snapped to her, blue eyes wide. "Really?" he asked, almost as if he was scared to hear the answer.

Tooth nodded. "Of course!" she said with a laugh. Her laugh brought Jack's smile back. "Come on!" She turned and buzzed away, and with a laugh Jack was close behind riding the wind he loved.

Soon the other Guardian's got involved too. After all, after Jack defeated Pitch, it was the least they could do. Sandy searched by sending small dreams in all different directions. Bunnymund and North searched some of the nearby towns, but the biggest help was when Tooth sent her little sprites to find Pippa's baby-teeth memory box.

A couple hours later, they got a match.

"Here she is," Tooth whispered, creaking open the door to Burgess' local cemetery. Jack's breath hitched in his throat, and he couldn't seem to force his legs to take the first step inside the gate. He had known Pippa wasn't alive; it's been three hundred years, after all. But at the same time she was so alive in his memories, so young and bursting with life, that it felt like he just met her.

And now she's gone.

"Easy there, mate," Bunnymund said, placing one furry paw on the young Guardian's shoulder.

That snapped Jack back to the present. "I'm fine," he insisted. Somehow his legs worked again and he walked inside.

Snow covered the gravestones, making them more beautiful than they actually were. Here and there grass poked out from the dirt and in between the cobblestone walkway. Tooth led the gang along until they stopped at one gravestone, set in the very back and tucked away in the corner.

Jack knelt down and brushed away the snow that had gathered on the inscription. It was barely legible, but Jack was able to read it. _"Pippa Frost," _he read. "_Loving wife and beautiful mother. 1704 - 1784." _

"Oh, Jack," Tooth murmured. Jack didn't hear, and was half aware of North turning to the Tooth Fairy and lightly shaking his head.

"Sh-she had a family," he whispered, wiping his eyes. They came back wet and frozen. "She survived. I- I really did save her." Her turned around, sapphire eyes glistening, with a smile on his face. "I did it."

"That you did," North grinned back, and Sandy enthusiastically nodded.

Jack smiled, a smile that broke Tooth's heart, and turned back to the gravestone. Suddenly Baby Tooth, who was patiently hovering by her momma, chirped and moved to the next gravestone. Jack wiped his eyes again and turned to the sprite.

"What's up, Baby Tooth?" he asked. Baby Tooth chirped again and circled over the gravestone. Jack frowned, then brushed aside the snow.

Then gasped.

"_Jackson Overland Frost," _Bunnymund read, then turned to Jack. "Is this you?"

"That's my name," Jack whispered, eyes wide. He quickly brushed away the rest of the inscription. He read, _"Loving and loved son, older brother, best friend, and hero. 1695 - 1712." _He voice cracked at the end, and he impatiently wiped his eyes. "T-told you I had a family," he muttered, face hidden by his sleeve.

Tooth smiled and patted Jack's back. "We know," she whispered with a sad smile. "But," she moved to hover in front of Jack, and with a gentle tug, moved his arms away from his face, "you still have a family." Jack blinked his watery eyes in confusion.

"That's right," North said, sitting down next to Jack. "You have us."

"So you won't be alone again," Tooth added with a smile.

The lump in Jack's throat hardened, and he quickly turned away. He wasn't sure what if he was happy that Tooth always knew what to say, or to be a little upset.

"Thanks guys," Jack whispered, pulling his hood over his head. Bunnymund plopped in the snow beside Jack, and North sat behind them all. Even Tooth gave her wings a rest as she knelt beside Jack, and Sandy hovered close by. Not a word was said; not a word needed _to _be said.

But when they left that day, there lay small gifts gently laid down in front of both of the Frosts' graves. Each had a small jingle bell, courtesy of North. Each had a single iridescent green feather, each had a small spring flower, each had a rose made entirely out of ice.

And above the both of them was a dream, made out of golden sand. Inside that dream was a small lake and a girl and a boy, the boy a little older than the girl, ice-skated across the golden surface twirling to a rhythm only they could hear.

_The End_

_ This is the end of the epilogue. It's a bit on the short side, but I didn't want to add any more. I hope I didn't hurt the original story by adding this chapter! :D This chapter is, by the way, dedicated to all of the readers. Thank you for all the support, and - Lightningpool, The What-If Writer, and those of you who wondered what happened to Pitch - I hope this answers your question. I kinda got a little carried away at the end though! Sorry hahaha_

_ Well then, I guess this is the part where I have to say goodbye! Until next time,_

_ Rand0mSmil3z :D_

_EDIT: Everyone who's reading this! :D I've just uploaded Humanity's sequel! Here is the link: s/8769147/1/Eternity-Sequel-to-Humanity Hopefully you'll like Eternity just as much as Humanity! Thank you everyone!_


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